Monster In The Closet
by Rae666
Summary: Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what’s going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen 'cause I just love Wee!Chesters.
1. Creaks

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

A work in progress for now but please, let me know what you think.

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1. Creaks

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_Sam – When I told Dad I was afraid of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45._

_Dean – What was he supposed to do?_

_Sam – I was nine years old. He was supposed to say "Don't be afraid of the dark."_

Two Days Ago

It was warm both outside and inside the house, a stuffy kind of warmth that always came after particularly bad storms filled with deafening thunder and blinding lightning. And it was still. The kind of still that could only ever exist after such loud and exciting yet terrifying storms. So with half her covers on and half thrown off, Megan tried her best to fall asleep.

Bleary eyes tried to make out her clock, but the darkness was too thick. She moaned and changed position. She was far too young to be having trouble sleeping but with that storm earlier, her body refused to rest. Her mouth felt dry and it was aggravating her but she'd just managed to get into a comfortable position. In the end, thirst would win though. Mumbling incoherent curse words that such a young and innocent mouth should not even know, she clambered out of bed and shoved her feet into her soft pink fluffy slippers.

She was a brave nine year old, that could be said – came from being an only child, no one to be compared against enforced her strengths, made her swell with too much pride but then again, not all nine year olds would be as comfortable as she was fumbling down the stairs towards the kitchen in the dark.

It wasn't until she reached the bottom of the stairs that she heard a creak from upstairs. Big house like this, bound to have a few creaks every now and then. But her reasoning didn't calm her. She took a deep breath and rushed into the kitchen, slamming her hand against the light switch. The light flooded the room, spilling into the hallway slightly.

"You are so overreacting." She laughed at herself and went about her business, forcing the water down.

She refilled the glass and placed in on the side whilst she searched the small utility cupboard for a flashlight. A Small one sat right at the front and she immediately pulled it out and tested it.

So, now armed with a flashlight and carrying her glass of water, she turned the kitchen light off and headed slowly back up stairs.

"Don't be stupid." She said to herself, gently pushing her bedroom door open, "Afraid of the dark? Me? No way."

She made a quick sweep of the room with the flashlight, there was nothing there. The most unnerving thing was her closet door was slightly ajar but that could be from her messy tidy up before bed. She stepped into her room and closed the door behind her.

"I'm too old to believe in monsters under beds and in closets too!" She told herself, but it didn't stop her from closing the closet door fully.

Megan placed her glass of water on her bedside cabinet and climbed back into bed. With one last glance around the room, she switched the flashlight off and stuffed it safely under her pillow.

She was determined now more than ever to fall asleep. Her eyes were pressed tight shut and her covers pulled up to her chin.

Within minutes she found herself drifting, falling into dreams. And that was when it came again. The creaking. It rudely woke her up from that sweet limbo and made her body freeze and her eyes snap open.

She didn't want to look but a sick curiosity drove her to and she turned her head in slow hesitation to see, and what she saw was not comforting. The closet door creaked open, revealing a hulking shadow.

Cold grey eyes locked with hers, keeping her firmly in place as this being edged its way out of her closet and towards her trembling body. She tried to scream but only managed to squeak and as if she missed the movement somewhere, it's hand was suddenly on her mouth.

"Shhhh…." It whispered, a cold hand stroking her hair.

And as it rose from its position, she made one attempt for freedom, sending her glass of water flying, shattering into a thousand pieces and she screamed for her parents to rescue her but before she made it out of bed, the thing had scooped her up into it's arms and was headed back towards the closet.

As the closet door shut, her screams were deafened and the night fell into and eerie cold silence.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

It was late and the Winchesters were up searching for their next gig. Dean lay on his bed with the laptop; he was scanning a couple of articles concerning missing children. Five so far; the latest being Megan Thompson who had disappeared only a couple of nights ago.

Sam had originally found the articles and was now busying himself around the room while Dean looked them over. Basically, he was clearing up after his big brother.

"So you think whatever this thing is, it's attacking kids?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, just like the Shtriga – I dunno, maybe it is one."

"Nah, it would have put the kids in hospital, it wouldn't have taken them."

"But it's moving through families, similar patterns."

Dean looked at the names again, Sam was right; it did seem to be working that way.

"Except it didn't take the Vaughn's eldest." Sam interjected before Dean's thoughts could go any further, "Which is kind of weird."

"Mary Walters aged eleven goes missing and two days later her little brother Joe, aged nine does the same vanishing act." Dean went through the facts out loud, trying to organise his thoughts, "Then in the next week, the Vaughn's youngest disappears, Michael, six years old, followed by his sister two days later again. Oldest stays put and this thing moves onto the next family and takes Megan Thompson, an only child. Not making much sense yet Sammy."

"It could be a bust, bunch of local kids playing a prank, I know but…"

"You're right, I know you are. There's definitely something up, even the non-psychic wonder that is me can see that. Could be a creature, or maybe some mystic cult."

Dean closed the laptop and chucked it over onto Sam's bed, Sam was still busying about but Dean was ready for a good nights sleep before they set off at whatever time Sam decided to torture Dean into getting up at.

"Sammy man, you need to sleep, like I'm about to do. And I swear, if you've moved my food I'll so kick your arse."

"I've left your M&M's on the table, where you left them before and I haven't touched them and I'm going to bed, now in fact." He opened the utility cupboard door and there the bad of rubbish he'd collected into it, where it landed next to a pathetic and broken three foot tall vacuum cleaner. Then he moved his laptop off his bed so he could easily climb into it.

"Dude!" Dean said warningly.

"What?"

"Door!"

Sam stared at Dean and then back at the open cupboard door, "You're twenty eight years old Dean, are you trying to tell me you're afraid of the thing in the closet?"

"Shut up!" Dean shot at his brother, "It has them thingy mijigs in, you know the ones that make loud annoying ticking noises during the night."

"Oh so you're afraid of the noises."

"Just shut up and close the damned door."

Sam smirked, it was always fun teasing his big brother, and closed the closet door.

"Night, wuss." He teased.

"Night, pain in my ass." Dean retorted.


	2. Brave Young Man

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Thanks for the reviews so far… now for some flashbacks.

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2. Brave Young Man

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_March 1988_

_Dean Winchester was a brave young boy. It was the he'd been brought up. He was also a big brother; this meant he had the job of protecting his younger brother, who wasn't as brave as Dean. But little Sammy was only four years old, how brave could a four year old be?_

_Dean Winchester wasn't afraid of anything, he didn't allow himself to be, he'd never allow himself to be. After all, Daddy wouldn't trust him to look after Sam if he himself needed looking after. Sure, in the past his Dad had left his boys in more capable hands whenever he went on his hunts but Dean was nine years old now and was really responsible for a kid his age and mature too – when he wasn't playing dumb pranks._

_It was eleven o'clock on Friday night and his Dad and Bobby were sitting in the other room, discussing their latest problem. Dean has asked several times throughout the evening if he could help and Sammy, being Sammy, had copied. John just pulled his boys into a tight embrace, telling them he and Bobby could manage and he sent them to finish off homework (well, Dean had homework, Sammy had that all to come yet), play, watch TV or do what they wanted before nine o'clock rolled round and it was time for bed._

_Nine o'clock had come and gone and Dean didn't want to sleep. He sat up on his bed, listening to the conversation in the next room. He didn't know much about what was going on but he'd heard some kids had gone missing. That's probably why he wasn't included, 'cause he was still a kid._

_He pouted silently, telling the darkness that he wasn't a kid and in reply, came a creaking noise._

Present Day

As expected, Sam woke Dean up far too early for his liking. It was before eight o'clock and that was all Dean needed to know in order to be angry at his younger brother. Sam on the other hand found it near impossible to believe that Dean could actually sleep until six in the morning, because that's what time it was, especially when they had a case to be getting on with.

The only thing that stopped Dean from bitching and quite possibly injuring Sam was the fact that is kind young brother had brought a peace offering in the form of coffee and donuts. Not just any doughnuts either, chocolate doughnuts with the sprinkles – nearly anything could be forgiven this early on the morning if you gave Dean Winchester chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles.

"I'm still angry with you." Dean said simply, stuffing a doughnut into his mouth.

That was all that was said about the matter and as soon as the Winchesters were ready, they were on the road and on their way to a new gig.

"And the plan?" Dean asked as they neared their destination.

"You haven't thought of one?"

"Dude, you're the geek boy."

"Usual I guess, interview the families, maybe check the kids rooms if they'll let us."

"What we gonna tell 'em? F.B.I.?"

"Not quite sure this would be F.B.I."

"We've got five missing kids, it should be F.B.I."

"Fine, feds it is then."

"No need to sound so enthralled, you make a pretty good fed, scary but good."

"You know, this means suits."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He hated the suit but for some reason the ladies didn't. The ladies found the suit and the long jacket to be extremely attractive, especially on a Winchester. But they weren't Winchesters today. Today they were Agent Scott and Agent Kroeger. And Agent Scott and Agent Kroeger stood outside of the Thompson family home, waiting for an answer.

A confused looking man opened the door but didn't speak. Sam took charge.

"Mr Thompson?" - The man nodded numbly in reply – "We're with the F.B.I., Agent Scot and Kroeger, we were hoping to ask you and you're wife a couple of questions."

Mr Thompson stood still, unsure how to respond.

"May we come in?"

Still silent, he opened the door further and allowed the two strangers to pass into his home. Once comfortably in the hall, he shut the door and led them into the living room.

"Honey?" Called a female voice from an adjoined room.

"Some people are here to ask us some questions." Mr Thompson spoke for the first time, his voice so quiet his wife wouldn't have heard it had she not entered the room.

She had a cup in either hand and she froze at the sight of the boys, "Oh?"

"We don't mean to intrude, we're with the F.B.I. and we were hoping you could answer some questions for us." Dean spoke softly.

"You mean we haven't answered enough?" She snapped, moving to hand her husband one of the cups, "I'm sorry. It's not your fault; I know you're only trying to help. I just can't stand this, any of it."

"You're bound to be angry and upset, when someone you love goes missing it kind of drives you nuts, I know." Dean offered, "But we really do want to help."

They were understanding and patient, not patronising or condescending, it made it so much easier for Mrs Thompson to answer to answer questions. Mr Thompson seemed in a world of his own, occasionally there with a murmur of agreement or a nod of the head.

"So the last thing you heard was the sound of screaming and glass shattering?"

"It woke us up, but she was gone by the time we got to her room."

"And no signs of forced entry?"

"Not that we know of, the police did a thorough search. I heard one of them say it was just like the other cases."

"Did you know the other children, or parents?"

"Not really, two of them were in Megan's class so I guess they knew each other. She doesn't really get on well with most kids. She's a bit of a Daddy's girl, hangs with him a lot."

"Do you mind if we take a look around her room?" Sam pointed at the stairs as he spoke.

"No, I'll show you where it is."

The police seemed to have done their job in the room, leaving a few muddy footprints and the mess for the parents to clean up. Sam studied the window, there was no way someone could have used that, it was way too high. Dean scanned the room with his makeshift EMF metre; there wasn't much to be found until he got to the closet. It spiked. It went crazy. He opened the door and the world felt unsteady for the tiniest of seconds.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam moved towards his moved.

"Dean shook himself mentally, "Yeah, just felt a little light headed."

Sam looked down at the metre in Dean's hands and back towards the closet, he half smiled, "Tell me we're not dealing with what I think we're dealing with because I loved the movie and all but it can't be the real deal, right?"

"I dunno Sam, do you believe in the boogeyman?"

_He pouted silently, telling the darkness that he wasn't a kid and in reply, came a creaking noise._


	3. Watched

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Thanks again for the reviews!

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3. Watched

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_March 1988_

_Had Dean Winchester had a normal childhood, he would have dismissed the noise and pulled his covers up over his head but alas, he hadn't had a normal childhood and he was far from a normal child._

_The creaking continued and he turned his head to the side. His closet door was opening, that just wasn't natural and if it wasn't natural then his Dad needed to know about it straight away._

"_Daaaaaad!" Dean shouted as he kicked his covers off and hurried out of the room towards his father._

"_Dean? Shouldn't you be asleep?" John asked his slightly pale son._

"_There's something in my room, something in my closet!" Dean bounced on the balls of is feet, pointing at his bedroom door._

_He never saw his father and Bobby share a meaningful glance before they rushed off, guns in hand, to the eldest child's room. Dean followed, happy to stay behind the adults._

_John flicked the light switch and light filled the room, everything was as it should be, covers strewn half on the floor, half on the bed but more importantly – the closet door was shut._

"_It was opening by itself, I swear!" Dean stared accusingly at the door, demanding that it reinact what it had done before._

_John nodded at Bobby. They moved to the door, both ready. John flung the door open and aimed the gun into the closet, Bobby's gun aimed also. But there was nothing there, just an empty closet._

_John sighed and Bobby moved away, rolling his eyes. He scuffled Dean's hair as he passed him going back through to the other room._

"_Look kiddo, there isn't anything here. You're probably just tired and imagining things."_

_Dean pouted, he was being called a kid again AND he was being told he was imagining things._

"_Come and see for yourself."_

_Dean nearly growled at his father but did as he was told and moved towards the closet, enough so he could see inside._

"_See? Nothing?" John glanced again into the closet, the empty normal closet, and then at his wide eyed son._

_Dean Winchester did see nothing. A big gaping whole of nothingness that threatened to swallow him. He grew cold inside and shivered, he swore he saw the shadows move and as he continued to stare into them, his eyes locked with a pair of cold grey ones._

Present Day

Agents Scott and Kroeger were no more. They were packed up and in the trunk of the black Impala parked outside the motel room. Sam and Dean Winchester however were comparing notes inside the room, comparing interviews, profiles and just general case notes.

"You really think we could be dealing with a classic 'monster in the closet' thing?" Sam asked.

"Why not? A lot of other fairy tales are true, or at least loosely based on fact."

"Yeah but this ones just told to scare kids, keep 'em good."

"Yeah and vampires turn to dust." Dean replied sarcastically.

"Okay, I get your point. So let's focus on finding out how to kill this thing and how to get those kids back. Did Dad ever meet a err.. boogeyman?"

"Not that I know of. There was that time you told him 'bout the thing in your closet – "

"Yeah I know, he gave me a freaking gun." Sam smiled at the memory, it was funny to think of it now.

"Well, yeah but he shipped us off to Pastor Jim's for a bit shortly afterwards. But anyway, no, and nowhere in his journal does he mention one."

"Right, so all we've got to go on really is a few scary movies and bedtime stories, great."

"If we can figure out a pattern, we might be able to meet it at its next victims and then just try loads of different things."

"Yeah, because that normally works."

Dean ignored his brother's remark and went back to studying the paperwork they had collected. Sam rejoined him shortly afterwards. Every now and then Dean would stuff a few M&Ms into his mouth. He was starving and you couldn't blame him, it was late and after interviewing all the families he was running low, not to mention he hadn't had much to eat since those doughnuts.

Sam's stomach growled, echoing Dean's thoughts. Dean looked up at him, his face clearly saying 'we need to eat' and Sam nodded in agreement. As they left the darkened motel room for door, they never heard the creaking.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Little Ricky lay in a peaceful slumber. His covers were wound tight and his night light softly lit his room. His dreams were full of candy and lollipops, along with a chocolate bunny or two. He rushed after them greedily, across the pink wafer bridge. But the bridge made a creaking noise and he found himself falling into the cold milk below.

And he woke up. He was freezing, shivering even and he could still hear that creaking noise. He stared at his ceiling with a puzzled expression on his face. His night light flickered and went out. That's when he realised the creaking was his closet door.

Quickly, he dove under the covers and curled up into a ball, making himself as small as he possibly could. The air felt icy, he was sure of it. The creaking stopped, it turned into something else, a silent whistle as if something was gliding towards him.

He whimpered. It heard him and stopped. But it didn't stop long. It removed his covers and he couldn't help but meet its eyes. What was this thing? It looked like it might feed him to the darkness or drain him dry, he didn't know what it wanted but he wished it gone.

He wished he was back inside his dreams or sweets and sugary goodness because he felt safe there. Momentarily his eyes searched the empty side of the room opposite his bed where another bed had once been. It had belonged to his older brother who had persuaded his parents to let him have his own room now he was nine years old. Little Ricky hated that because the one place he felt safer in more than his candy dreams, was his brothers strong protective arms.

And so Ricky screamed out to his older brother, tears streaming down his face, crying for him to come running from his new room in time to save him. But as the thing took him up in its arms and covered his mouth, the footsteps didn't come quick enough and as the bedroom door opened, the closet door closed.

_He grew cold inside and shivered, he swore he saw the shadows move and as he continued to stare into them, his eyes locked with a pair of cold grey ones._


	4. Whispers

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

And here's the next chapter. I got more flashbacks here. So please, read and if you feel like, review. Thank you! Hope you enjoy.

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4. Whispers

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_March 1988_

"_Dad! It's right there." Dean's voice was shaking; he tried to control it but those grey eyes burned into him and gave him icy chills at the same time, "Look!"_

_John did look, but still he saw nothing but an ordinary closet. He closed the door and knelt down in front of Dean, placing a large hand on his son's forehead._

"_You feeling okay, kiddo?" He asked, "You are kind of warm actually."_

"_I'm fine but there's something in there Dad, you've got to believe me."_

"_Look, I've checked, you saw me check and I didn't see anything inside the closet. You think I'd lie to you?"_

_Dean shook his head and bit his lip, "But Dad…"_

"_You feel like you might be getting a fever, you remember what Sammy was like last month when he had the flu?"_

_Dean would have laughed at the memory had be not felt such fear over that thing hiding behind the closed closet door. It was a funny memory – Sam had many hallucinations, in fact he'd insisted that the small apartment they were staying in was infested with rabbits, hundreds of them of all colours from white and black to pink and green. He even told Dean about the 'leprechaun' that came to visit him. Dean had later over heard him talking to this 'leprechaun' which turned out to be the small green vacuum cleaner that stood over in the corner of the room._

_But that wasn't what was happening to Dean. Dean felt fine and healthy, no flu virus was infecting him and giving him hallucinations._

"_Dad, please…" Dean begged._

_John found himself sighing again, "You can sleep in my room tonight but only tonight, understood?"_

_Dean nodded happily and flung his arms around his father, he hadn't expected to be let off so lightly. He'd expected his Dad to order him to grow up and just go to bed but he was thankful that he hadn't._

"_What about Sammy?" Dean asked, breaking away from the hug._

"_Sammy is fine, Dean." John breathed, "I'm not waking him up to drag him into my room."_

_Dean felt his cheeks redden, he hadn't meant for his dad to think that, "No… just keep checking on him, okay Dad?"_

"_Of course I will."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

When the boys returned to their room after food, they decided to call it a night. There was no way either of them could focus because so far, this job was beyond confusing. Even with the amount of children who had gone missing, there still seemed to be no actual connections between the families so either this thing was just particularly random or overly complicated.

Sam was already asleep in his bed when Dean finished in the bathroom. He looked over at his younger brother and smirked, he couldn't help remembering the black marker hidden in the bottom of his bag but no, he would resist – this time.

"It would be so easy." Dean laughed, walking over to his bed but he froze before he got there, his ears strained. He was sure he'd heard a whisper but now there was nothing.

He climbed into his bed and just laid there. His eyes wide open, his senses on red alert, waiting for another whisper or another sound. But the only sounds that came were the soft tickings of the thingy mijgs from the cupboard. It took Dean mere seconds to decide that the door to the closet was ajar once again and needed shutting. When he'd scooted out of bed and clambered to close it, he snuggled back up under his covers and allowed his eyes to close.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wake up sleeping beauty!" Sam shouted, a little too loudly if you asked Dean, but no one ever seemed to do that, especially not Sam.

"Wha?" Dean groaned opening his eyes and pulling himself up.

"Cops are out. 'Nother kids gone missing."

That woke him up. Never mind caffeine, if a kid's life was in danger, that was all the stimulation he needed, "How much info you got?"

"Not much, kids name was Richard Moss."

"He got any siblings?"

"Dude, I've only just found out he's missing…"

Dean raised his eyebrows, the words 'geek boy' circling in his mind and edging closer to his tongue. Same must have seen the same words written in Dean's eyes because he broke down, "Yeah, okay. He's got an older brother, he's the one that found the bedroom empty."

"Think he heard something?"

"That's what the cops on the radio said. He heard his brother screaming but when he went to check, he couldn't find him."

"So we'll wait for the cops to clear then do our stuff?"

"It could be dark before they're gone."

"Great." Dean cursed, "His brother could be in danger, I mean this thing is going through families."

"Whatever this is, it seems to wait a few nights before claiming another victim. I think he'll be safe tonight but we're gonna have to come up with a reason to talk to him."

"You know what school the kid goes to?"

"I'm guessing the same as the others; it's the only one in the area. Why?"

"Well, his kid brother's just gone missing; I reckon he might need a bit of counselling."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_He lay awake in his fathers bed for ages and he thought he was finally drifting off as the voices of John and Bobby grew distant but no such luck. They had just moved into the kitchen by the sounds of it._

_It wasn't that Dean was frightened and even if he was, which he wasn't, he wouldn't admit it. What was really bothering Dean was his constant worry for Sam. What if the thing in his closet went after his younger brother instead?_

_Later that night when John went to check on Sam, just like he had promised Dean he would and just like he always did when he was with his boys – constantly checking in on both of them, his eldest was curled up on the floor between Sammy and the closet. He couldn't help but smile, his son's makeshift floor bed was probably beyond uncomfortable but if it meant protecting Sammy from harm, Dean didn't care._

_John bent over and scooped Dean and his blankets up, "Come on Champ, before you catch a cold."_

_Dean groaned but didn't wake and as quietly as he may have said it, John heard him whisper 'Sam'._

"_Guess you're sharing Sam's bed tonight." And he placed Dean gently next to Sam and laid the covers over him. He kissed both his boys foreheads and told them he loved them – something he wished he did more when they were awake._


	5. Morning After

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

This is more of a stepping stone chapter than an action one.

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5. Morning After

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mr and Mrs Moss?" Sam asked solemnly.

"Yes?" Mrs Moss narrowed he eyes suspiciously.

"We're from the school, kind of a big brother counsellor scheme. We were really hoping we could talk to Jacob."

"I know he hasn't come to school but his little brother, our youngest, has just gone missing. Now if you don't mind…"

"Please, that's not why we're here. We just wanna talk Jacob through it. It'll help us get a measure of when he'll be back in school, it might also help him to remember some important details about that night – it could help find Richard." _That's a lot of helping, _Dean thought as he spoke, inwardly rolling his eyes at himself.

"Okay, but only if he wants to and not for long." Mrs Moss bit her lip and welcomed the young gentlemen in; Dean had obviously played the right card.

"Jacob?" She called through the house, "Come here darling."

It took a few minutes but the young boy finally appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Hey kiddo." Dean smiled at him, a flicker of a smile was returned but only out of politeness.

"He's barely spoke so don't push him. I think he blames himself and he won't believe me when I say we'll get him back." Mr Moss spoke a lot gentler than Sam or Dean had expected, considering his looks, kind of like a hockey player.

"Do you mind if we talk?" Sam asked as Jacob approached.

Jacob shrugged and looked at his mother; she smiled and nodded, silently telling him it was okay.

"How old are you kiddo?" Dean asked, kneeling down in front of the small boy.

"Nine." He mumbled.

Sam watched as his brother started breaking down the walls that this child had put up. Who better to break walls down than someone who knew exactly how to put them up? It would probably be hard enough for Dean to get through, what with being a total stranger, without having Sam hovering so he decided to change the plan a little.

"Mr Moss, you mind if we talk in the living room? Dean's great with kids and Jacob might feel more comfortable without the staring eyes. I've only got a couple of questions to ask you and Mrs Ross."

Dean looked up at Sam, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah, sure." The couple were reluctant to leave their son but logically, they knew they couldn't start distrusting every person who talked to them or Jacob, so they led Sam and left both Dean and Jacob speechless.

"Well…" Dean said, letting the word hang. Jacob just stared after his parents.

"You're dad said you blame yourself." That got his attention.

"He's my little brother, I should have been there. I should have run faster."

"I know how you feel, believe me. Little brothers have a way of getting themselves into trouble quite a lot but I promise you it was NOT your fault and I am going to do everything I can to get him back so you can kick his… er, tell him off."

"You were gonna say ass." Jacob smiled mischievously.

"I thought you were nine!" Dean tried to remember if he'd known that sort of stuff when he was that age. Then again, with a father like his, he most probably did and probably used it too.

"Okay, so Jacob I need you to tell me all you remember about that night."

"Not much to remember. I heard Ricky screaming, it woke me up. I always wake up when he's had a nightmare and stuff. I really ran as fast as I could, I swear! But when I got there, I didn't see anything."

"Do you remember anything about the room? Open windows?"

"No. Ricky doesn't like the window open so it's always shut but it was cold, really cold."

Dean stood up and looked up the stairs, "You mind showing me Ricky's room?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_Sammy was more pleased than shocked when he woke up to find his brother lying next to him on the bed. Normally the boys shared a room but the rooms in this apartment were far too small to have more than one bed and so the boys were separated during their sleeping hours for the first time. The past few nights had been restless for Sam but he'd slept like a log last night and his young mind immediately put it down to Dean's presence._

_He lay there for a minute in silence before deciding it was time to go in search for food. As tempting as it was to wake his older brother from the peaceful slumber he was currently in, Sammy decided he'd leave him lying and pour his own cereal this morning. When he got to the kitchen, he saw his father sitting at the table, deep shaded bags under his eyes and a yawn desperately searching for its escape. His hand held a pen loosely and tapped it over and over and over again on the table top._

_John Winchester was a stubborn man and prone to frustration. Both his boys were excellent at reading the signs for his up and coming frustration, Dean had watched his father many times and had picked up on the tell tale signs over the years, he had taught Sammy how to do the same. And right now, Sammy was reading those signs loud and clear which meant he had to tread carefully._

"_Morning." He said softly._

"_Morning kiddo." John briefly looked up from the bits of paper in front of him and flashed his son a tired smile._

"_What you doing?" Sam went on, trying his best to reach for the bowl on the work top._

"_Just working on a case."_

_Sam groaned as he reached, his fingers finally touching the bowl and dragging it forwards, a little too far forwards and the rest was all gravity's fault as it came crashing down to the kitchen floor with a clash and a clatter. Thank heavens for plastic bowls._

_Sammy spun around, he was never very good at treading carefully like Dean had told him to when their dad was frustrated. John looked up from his papers with a weary smile, it was true that this case was making him agitated and sometimes when it got really bad, he might snap at his sons but looking at the innocent face of Sam's, he just couldn't. He had been about to say 'If you wanted help, you should have asked' but he was interrupted by a shout from Sammy's bedroom and then the door was flung open, which just sent waves of banging and throbbing through his head and he could help the angry "Dean!" which escaped his lips._

"_Sammy?" Dean called, rushing towards the kitchen where he'd heard his Dad. _

_He couldn't quite remember but he'd woken up to the sound of a clatter and the first thing he knew was that Sam wasn't there. He'd taken a deep breath and looked into the empty closet before calling out his brother name and rushing from the bedroom, carelessly letting the door bang open._

"_Dean? What wrong?" Sam asked as his brother walked into the kitchen._

_Dean once again felt his face redden, embarrassed by his behaviour, the best thing to do in a situation like this was to start a conversation that was not about him shouting and clashing through apartment, "Where Bobby?"_

"_He's gone to get some proper coffee. What the hell is wrong with you Dean?" His father asked, sure Dean was protective of Sam but he never normally went screaming through the house if Sam wasn't in his line of sight._

_Dean looked at the floor, his face going an even deeper shade of red. How does a nine year old tell his father that he thought the thing from the closet, which his father refused to believe was there because he couldn't see it, had taken his younger brother? He just couldn't, if he kept insisting there was something in the closet then his Dad would just go mad._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"I just don't understand what is happening. I know a few other children have gone missing but I just didn't think anything about it. I just felt sorry for the parents and went on with my life and now I'm one of them. Ricky is good kid, I don't care what anyone says, even if he could run off, he wouldn't. He loves his brother too much, he won't go anywhere without him." Mrs Moss failed to stop the tears streaming down her face as she spoke to Sam.

"He was devastated when we gave Jacob the old study, it's just down the hall but for Ricky, it was still too far away. He loves his big brother and Jacob loves him too. Oh God, I don't know if I can handle knowing what's being done to him. Why would someone take a kid?" The still gentle voice of Mr Moss broke through his wife's sobs.

Sam sipped the drink he had been given and just listened, he hadn't asked many questions, and mainly he just let them talk. That's what they need, they needed to talk but they also needed two other things, answers and their son. Sam had neither, so he just sat quietly, taking in as much information as he could. He couldn't even reassure them because there was also the possibility that whatever had taken the children had no intention of keeping them alive.

Of course, there was one last theory as well, which Sam didn't like much and he refused to even voice it to Dean because Dean's mind was totally focused on it being the 'boogeyman'. What if it was the parents? What if all the parents belonged to some weirdo cult and were using their own children as sacrifices or something? No. He couldn't think that. And whilst sitting watching Mr and Mrs Moss, he seriously doubted this theory could be true.

To be honest, as crazy as Dean's theory sounded and considering the evidence so far, the monster in the closet was looking like the prime suspect.


	6. Common Factor

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Thank you all for the kind reviews so far and for those who just read, thanks for reading! I jump straight into the evilness with this chapter, so please enjoy.

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6. Common Factor

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_After the embarrassing incident earlier that morning, Dean just couldn't find it in him to argue when his Dad ordered him to sleep in his own room that night. In fact, he was seriously beginning to doubt that he had actually seen anything. He probably had imagined the whole thing, his father hadn't seen anything and neither had Bobby._

_So the nine year old Dean Winchester lay quietly in his bed listening to the voices of John and Bobby who seemed no closer to finding the thing they were hunting. He felt so tired and weary; there was no way he could keep his eyes open much longer. His mind began to drift, thoughts beginning to blur and sleep took its hold, taking the young boy into a deep slumber._

_The creaking noise that echoed though the room didn't wake him, nor did the silent whistle. It wasn't until he felt the icy cold hand over his mouth that his eyes snapped open and by then, it was too late to scream._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"My bed used to be there. Ricky sometimes crept into it when he had a nightmare." Jacob pointed to the empty carpet with soft flattened parts that indicated something heavy had been there recently.

Dean took in the whole room with a quick glance and pulled his EMF metre out. Jacob watched him curiously as he worked, tilting his head to the side like a curious dog.

"What you doing?"

"Checking for clues." Dean said simply.

"The cops have checked."

"I'm checking for different types of clues." Dean made his way over to the closet and just like at the other places, it went crazy.

"What does that mean?"

"It means the same thing that took your brother took the other kids too."

"Into the closet?" The kid raised an eyebrow at Dean, "Aren't you a little old…"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what my brother thinks too." Dean muttered.

"You said other kids…" Jacob looked at the floor as he spoke and Dean eyed him.

"Yeah, you know them?"

"A few are in my classes. Their brothers and sisters have gone missing too."

"Yeah, I know. Me and my brother are trying to find them."

"But you told my mom…" Dean smiled as the kid was about to argue, he half expected the kid would have probably been listening at the top of the stairs earlier.

"I know, because we don't want to get their hopes up so it's out little secret right?"

"And you'll bring my brother back?"

Dean nodded.

"Deal then." Jacob found himself nodding as well.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_John threw his pen down on the table and Bobby looked up at him, "John, it's not going to help if you start taking a tantrum."_

"_I know but we have no idea where this thing is going to strike next. Do you know how many nine year olds are in this town?"_

"_You're worried about Dean aren't you?"_

_John ran his fingers through his hair, "What if he did see something last night?"_

"_Go check on him, he'll probably be sitting at the door listening to us or sound asleep."_

_John would have brushed the suggestion off because when the father in him took over the hunter, that meant he was putting someone else in danger but no, the father won this time and he stoop up, the chair scraping heavily on the floor._

_John listened at first, his hand on the door as if by just touching it he could sense what was on the other side. The hand moved down and gripped the handle, turning it slowly so as not to make a sound. When the door was opened, he glanced in, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark. He felt himself shiver. The room was cold, far colder than it should have been._

"_Dean?" He whispered, searching the bed for his son. But the covers were twisted and thrown away, discarded in a heap at the bottom._

"_Dean?" He called, louder and a little more urgently this time._

_When he got no reply, not even the sound of breathing, he flicked the light on and began to frantically search the room. It was hard but he was trying his best to calm, keep a cool head and to not shake. But his entire body shook and so did his voice when he came out of Dean's room and headed for Sam's._

"_Bobby – he's missing. Dean's not in his room." He heard Bobby getting up from his place at the table and was sure he was searching the other rooms, so he opened Sam's door._

_Unlike the night before, there was no Dean lying in a makeshift bed or anywhere else. There was just Sam, lying fast asleep in bed. John couldn't stop the tears that began forming in his eyes and he cursed himself for not listening when Dean said he'd seen something._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"Sam?" Dean said as they climbed into the car. Now they had confirmed Ricky's disappearance was the same as all the others and that meant Jacob was in danger, it was time to regroup and formulate a plan. They told the Moss' that they'd be in touch and Dean gave Jacob a wink, to which a genuine smile was returned.

"Yeah?"

"Jacob said he was nine."

"And?" Sam couldn't quite see where his brother was going with his little speech.

"Well every family this thing has visited has that in common. A nine year old."

Sam's brow furrowed as he went through his mental notes on each family and he found that Dean was right. There was a common factor after all, but what did it mean? "So what you thinking?"

"I dunno but it's gotta be something. Maybe a teacher from that grade or something." They were on the road and headed back to the motel now.

"But then why take the others?"

"I dunno but we've got to do something. It could come back tonight."

Sam felt himself sigh before he could stop it, "We still don't know what this is or how to get rid of it, what happens if we can't stop it?"

"There'll be a way. Salt, iron, hell maybe silver will work but I promised the kid, Sam."

"And your plan?"

"Stake out."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	7. Hesitation

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

I love it when sudden inspiration hits, only problem is trying to keep the ideas from slipping away long enough so you can write them down. :D

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

7. Hesitation

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Stake out. Those two simple words were never as easy as thy sounded or as Dean liked to make them sound. Sam had found this out through the year, Dean was like a child that way, making everything sound simple and easy even when it wasn't. Sometimes when Sam looked at Dean, he saw the innocence of the child that Dean was never really allowed to be when he was younger. It made him smile to think that after how quick he'd been made to grow up and after all the things he'd seen and done, he still possessed that innocence in his soul that most people lost.

"Dude? Quit it!" Dean snapped. Then again, maybe Sam confused the innocence with immaturity.

Sam shook the thoughts from his head; he'd been completely unaware that he'd been staring at Dean the whole time. "What?"

"You were doing that freaky staring crap!"

"Sorry." Sam muttered and he looked outside the window.

They were parked over the road from the Moss', waiting for the right moment. Night had fallen and it was just after midnight, but still the lights inside were on. It took another half hour before the lights were finally turned off and Dean glanced at the clock. They still had another forty five minutes to wait, giving the Moss' time to get into bed and fall into a deep sleep because they could hardly break in and risk getting the cops called on them.

Sam had argued, of course he had, it's what he did but Dean had refused to listen to him because he simply said that they couldn't afford to wait any longer because if that thing came for Jacob, there would be no time to waste. But now they knew it was nearly time to move time seemed to pass much quicker and the boys were loaded up and ready to go before the end of their wait.

When they entered the house, after picking the lock around the back, they made their way quietly upstairs. It wasn't the first time they'd entered houses unlawfully and it would probably be far from the last.

"So which room is he in?" Sam asked.

Dean pointed to Ricky's room door, "His brother's gone missing, he's bound to be sleeping in his bed, just in case."

Sam could see Dean's logic but still, he raised an eyebrow, "You didn't…"

"You never went missing." Dean replied simply, knowing the question his brother was about to ask. But he knew that, like all those nights when they were younger and he lay by his brother's side, he would have slept in Sam's bed if Sam had even gone missing.

Dean shivered. It was suddenly cold. A very odd cold.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_He was cold. No, scratch that. He was freezing and shaking as much as a tuning fork. Everything about him felt heavy, his limbs, his eyes, his breathing. It was so much harder than it was meant to be and he never had as much trouble before when it came to opening his eyes. When he did prise them open, he found it didn't do much good because wherever he was, it was dark. He could barely make out his own body as he looked down and he was sure if it were a little lighter, he'd be able to see his own breath._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"Dean?" Sam asked, shaking his brothers shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Dean blinked, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Where did you go just now?" Sam's eyes had that puppy dog quality in them that just shone with concern.

"Nowhere. I dunno. I guess I must have been day dreaming." Dean rubbed his temples, not wanting to discuss his health.

And they didn't have to because as quiet as it was, the boys somehow heard the shuffle that came from inside the room. There eyes met and they knew that the other had heard it too. Dean moved first, slowly opening the door, hoping to catch the creature off guard. But as the boys entered the room, it was them who were caught off guard. They made a big mistake, something that a hunter should never do.

They hesitated.

The freezing cold air hit the pair of them a lot harder now they were inside the room. Sam looked around into the darkness of the room and noticed three things. The first being that the closet door was wide open, the second being the look of pure terror on Jacobs face and the third being that there was absolutely nothing inside the room.

And so he hesitated because he had nothing to aim for. Nothing to shoot.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

"_John! This is not your fault. Neither of us saw it. Neither of us could have known." _

_Bobby tried his best to calm his friend down but John Winchester was just not having it. If there was one thing that angered a Winchester more than anything, it was when you messed with his family. But it wasn't just the anger, it was the worry, that aching worry that could cause a person to just double over and spew their guts out. And Bobby knew that if John didn't get his head on straight and push the father inside to the back for just a little while, he was going to out them both in danger, and all the children including Dean._

"_But Dean did! He saw it and he knew what it was but I told him it was nothing so he listened to me. He did what I told him to do, even though he knew."_

"_And because of this we've found out what it is and how to kill it."_

"_Well that's not exactly helpful because we can't do anything to it until I get my son back! Until we get the other children back."_

"_You know that this thing feeds on two things, even if we get them back alive, they might be..."_

"_Go on say it, changed, altered, different. I'm not letting that thing do anything to my son. I will get him back."_

"_I hate to say this John, but we might need Sammy. He's…"_

"_No! I can't involve him in this, he's too young."_

"_You read the book; you know what happened the other night. There is no way we can kill this thing without Sammy's help. How the hell do we kill something we can't see?"_

"_But he's a child…"_

"_Exactly! And it's only children who can see it."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

When Dean looked into the darkness of the room, he also noticed three things. The first being that the closet door was wide open, the second being the look of pure terror on Jacobs face and the third being that the creature standing directly in front of Jacob was now staring directly at Dean and those cold grey eyes that seemed to look deep into his soul brought up a burning fear that he never knew existed.

And so he hesitated because for a split second, he felt like he was a child again and he felt like this thing was going to swallow him whole. But then the hunter returned and a fire burned inside of him.

"Jacob, get over here!" He called and Jacob did as he was told now that the creatures' attention was elsewhere.

Dean aimed his gun and fired a shot. He didn't know which gun he had or which element had been fired, all he knew that whatever it was did no good because the creature was in front of him in a flash, and Dean had no idea how it had gotten then so fast.

With an icy cold hand, it forced his aimed hand away and Dean felt frozen, the fire finding it hard to rage.

"Sam, shoot it!" He hissed, but his brother stared blankly back.

"Jacob!" Came a cry from the hallway.

The gunshot was bound to wake someone up. Dean couldn't force his gaze away from the creature to look though, but it didn't matter because it leant in and whispered in his ear "I'll be back for you." before disappearing back into the closet, where the closet door closed with a snap.

And now they were in trouble because how were they supposed to explain their presence to a couple who already had one missing child? Dean looked at Sam and Sam bit his lip, neither had particularly thought about that. But Jacob tugged on his sleeve and boy did the child look even younger than he had before.

"I'll distract them. You get out of here."

"Why?" Dean asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Because if they call the cops, you can't get my brother back like you promised."

Dean nodded in reply and Jacob hurried from the room. It was no easy escape, they had to keep extra quiet whilst Jacob kept them in their room sobbing about a made up nightmare and begging them not to make him go back out there just yet.


	8. Calling the Cavalry

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Thank you! Thank you so much for the reviews! I really hope you continue to enjoy.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

8. Calling the Cavalry

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sam demanded when they were finally at a safe distance from the house.

"What was I thinking? What the hell were you thinking?!?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You had a clear shot! You should have shot the damn thing!"

"A clear shot at what?" Sam's heartbeat quickened as he began to realise just where this conversation was headed and that he and his brother had seen something completely different back inside that house.

"That thing! Whatever the hell it was. Boogeyman or what have you."

"Dean, I didn't see anything."

Dean looked at Sam incredulously, like he had just grown a second and possibly even third head, "You never saw anything? It was standing right in front of me!"

Sam didn't know what to say, he opened his mouth but immediately closed it again, cutting the words off before they had a chance to anger his brother even more. Somehow he didn't think that saying 'there was nothing there to see' would help.

"Just get in the car." Dean growled and when Sam did as he was told, Dean sped off and the ride back to the motel was going to be an uncomfortable silence.

Sam kept glancing over at Dean whose eyes were fixed determinedly on the road ahead, hard and angry. He'd let Dean have this short time to calm down but as soon as they got in that motel room, Sam was going to have a talk with Dean and Dean would probably shout back.

So in the silence, Sam searched his memory. He thought about what he's seen in that room but no matter how many times he replayed the scene, there was no creature, just an open door, a frightened child and a…

And a frightened Dean.

Sam had missed that at first. How could he not have noticed? Whatever Dean had seen had scared him and now he was angry. And he was still angry when they arrived at the motel; banging the room door behind him and making the pictures of the wall wobble precariously. He was about to start shouting again, but Sam beat him to it, only he wasn't going to shout.

"Okay, what exactly did you see back there?"

Dean was caught off guard by this question, "That thing. I saw the thing."

"But I didn't. I couldn't see it." _Make it about me being unable to see rather than him seeing things,_ Sam thought.

"It was right there." Dean stared at Sam, slowly deciding that he was telling the truth, "You really didn't see it?"

Sam shook his head and sat down on his bed.

"How? How's that possible?"

"I don't know but whatever was there, I'm pretty sure Jacob could see it too." Sam felt slightly embarrassed that he was the only one who couldn't, "We need help on this, Dean. We really have no idea what we're dealing with."

"So what? We call the roadhouse? 'Cause we can't really call Bobby, he'll be sick of us always running to him for help."

"No he won't and I've got a feeling if anybody can help us, it'll be him."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_Sammy opened his tired eyes as his Dad gently shook him, whispering his name and telling him to wake up. Bobby was standing behind him, a solemn but determined look on his face and Sammy was confused._

"_Dad?" He yawned, trying to focus his fuzzy mind, "What's going on?"_

"_Hey champ. You know this case that I've been working on with Bobby?" Sammy nodded in reply and his Dad carried on, "Turns out, we might need that help you offered before."_

"_Is Dean helping too?"_

_John bit his lip, it was a bad habit that he had passed onto his youngest son, he didn't want to worry his youngest but there was no way he could hide it from him and he just couldn't find the words to say. Bobby saw this and decided to step him, "Dean's in trouble, kid."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

It took three tries but Bobby finally answered. His knowledgeable gruff voice saying a simple 'hello'.

"Hey Bobby, its Sam. We're on a case in Colorado and we could use some info."

"You boys are going to be the death of me, you know that." Though Sam could hear the smile on his face, "Colorado huh? What you up against?"

"Well, that's it. We're not exactly sure. We have a theory but, it just sounds like all kinds of crazy."

"Spit it out."

"Er… We er… Well, Dean mainly," Sam gulped and Dean stared hard at him, "Everything points to the Boogeyman."

The line fell silent. Sam wasn't sure if Bobby was just going to hang up on him and start laughing or if he was actually thinking about it.

"Have you tried confronting it?"

"Yeah, hour or so ago. It came after a kid."

"And you saw it?" Bobby's voice was full of shock and Sam immediately knew that Bobby had at least some sort of idea of what they were dealing with.

"Well, no actually…"

"Damn it! So it got away with the kid?"

"No. We stopped it. Dean shot it."

"I thought you said you didn't see it."

"I didn't but Dean did."

The line fell silent again and then all of a sudden Bobby let out a huge sigh, "Oh God. Is he okay?"

_Okay, random much? _Sam thought, but he glanced at Dean all the same who simply shot him a questioning glance back. "Dean's fine. Bobby, what do you know?"

"You boys don't remember, do you?"

"Remember? Remember what?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

"_Dad?" He whispered, his throat felt sore though he didn't know why._

_There was no reply; just the deafening silence and Dean knew that he was alone in the cold and darkness. He managed to drag his heavy knees up to his chest and wrapped his heavy arms around them. That was the most movement he could do, it all seemed like too much work. He bit his lip and forced back the tears that were forming in his eyes; he was a Winchester for Christ sake! Winchesters didn't cry because of something like this._

_So he told himself to take a deep breath. Over and over again he told himself and then he started counting each breath until it evened out and he ended up counting away the seconds instead of his breaths, and then the minutes and eventually the hours. He managed to get to two hours before the numbers all became jumbled and he started mixing them up. It frustrated him that the only control he had was counting. And he took another deep breath and quietly under his breath, he began to sing those classic rock songs that he'd been memorising over the years._

_His throat was still sore and it hurt to sing, even quietly, but it was a break from that painful silence that vibrated around his skull. He got to the fifth song before he lost his place and began to lose his focus again and he groaned at himself, once again forcing the tears back as he laid his head on his knees that were hugged tightly into his chest._

"_Don't stop…" Hissed a teasing voice from the shadows._

_Dean's head snapped up and he looked around, he didn't reply, didn't do as it said, he just searched for the source._

"_Don't stop." It repeated and then it added something else, as if tasting it, testing it, "Dean."_

_He couldn't find the source, he couldn't see into the darkness but when he felt the cold fingers on his face, he knew he didn't want to see the source. He didn't want to see those cold grey eyes, so he closed his eyes as tight as they would go._

"_You're stronger than the others." It said and the hand was removed._

_Dean let out a breath, happy for the release but it didn't last long, it was only false hope as he felt long icy fingers wrap around his wrist and pull it out of position. Dean's small hands made fists but the thing prised his fingers open and he felt it dig it's nail into the flesh of his palm, dragging it across like a cold steel blade. The pain made Dean open his eyes and he watched as the creature ran the finger across the now bleeding, long and deep wound on Dean's right palm. He continued watching as it raised its finger to its mouth and licked the blood off._

"_Tastier too." It smiled and its grey eyes bore into Deans._

_Panic rose inside of Dean and he knew only one thing. He had to get away from this thing but no matter how much he struggled, it would not release him._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	9. Fragmented Memories

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

I have to say, I am really pleased with the attention this story has been receiving and I can only thank you all because what good is a story with someone to tell it to?

Thanks to JayneFaire who gave me a suggested way of updating my story - seen as wouldn't let me upload.

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9. Fragmented Memories

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Present Day 

Sam was silent as Bobby let out another sigh, indicating that it was 'story time'. Dean just continued to look on questioningly and Sam was actually kind of thankful that he wouldn't be able to hear this, that way he'd get to question Dean about it after.

"Started nearly twenty years ago when me and your Daddy were working a hunt together. A bunch of nine year olds went missing and we thought it was a local thing to do with local kids, we never expected it –" He looked down at his feet, hand held tightly around the phone. He hated remembering that hunt because he hated remembering the effect it had on John and his boys. He would always hate seeing the Winchesters like that because deep down inside, they were such good people.

"What happened?"

"We didn't know what it was at first. If we had any idea…" Bobby swallowed, "The thing came and it took Dean."

Sam felt like he'd been winded, his eyes looked over at Dean who was still trying to hear what was being said and again, he was thankful that Dean couldn't, "It what?"

"It took him, Sam. Damn near broke your Dad."

"Where did it take him?"

Dean's brow furrowed at the one way conversation he was getting, "Sam?"

"Back to its home. It was like some sort of hell. I'm not surprised he blocked it all out. Or you."

"Me?"

"Well kid, one major problem about this creature. Only children can see it. Me and your Daddy had no chance fighting blind and so we had to use your help."

"Wait… only children? Then how come he saw it tonight?"

"I dunno but it's not safe for you boys, especially Dean."

"Bobby, what do you mean?" The line filled with static before he got to hear Bobby's answer though. It was the sound that you got when you passed through a tunnel but Sam was pretty sure that neither he nor Bobby were currently passing through any tunnels, not unless motels could sprout legs or wheels.

Sam looked down at his phone and was surprised by the fact that he suddenly had no reception. He just kept staring at his phone, praying silently that the reception would just suddenly come back and Bobby would call. Dean woke him from the trance as he began to speak.

"Sam, what did he say?"

"He er… He knows what we're dealing with."

"And?"

Sam looked over at Dean, his gaze studying him, "And Dad's dealt with it before. Dean, I need you to be honest with me. Do you remember anything about this?"

"About what? You think if I knew Dad had hunted this thing before I'd keep it from you? It was probably one of those times he dumped us at Pastor Jims or some place."

"No…" Sam shook his head, "We were there, Bobby said. He was there too. Dean, he said – he said that it took you."

"What?" Dean asked, thinking about the one way conversation – _Where did it take him?_ that's what Sam had asked, "Took me? Took me where?"

"I dunno. Bobby said back to its home. He said it was like hell."

"Sam, I don't remem…" Dean started to say, but he felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt cold and he was sure he'd heard something. His eyes snapped over to the closet door. It was ajar. Without really thinking about his actions, he crossed over the beds and slammed the door shut before reaching for a chair and sliding it under the handle and jamming it into a position that would stop the door from being opened again.

"Dean?" Sam walked over to his brother as he sat on the edge of the bed, he was breathing heavily, too heavily for what he'd just done. No, his heavy breathing was from panic, Sam was sure, "You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just don't want any unwelcome visitors." Dean put his head in his hands and took a deep calming breath, trying to steady himself. When he pulled his hands away, Sam immediately grabbed his right wrist, "Hey! What the…?"

Sam turned the hand over and Dean saw what Sam had seen. He had a cut across his palm and it was bleeding, he looked at the chair accusingly, he knew he'd caught his hand on the sharp part but he didn't realise it had made him bleed. And damn it - that must mean some of the blood was on his face.

"Let me sort this out." Sam said, well, ordered really and he disappeared into the bathroom, probably getting the first aid kit.

Dean stared at his palm as it began to sting, as the blood just kept oozing out he suddenly felt sick.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988 _

_"No." Dean begged, still trying to pull away from the creature but he just felt too weak. What had it done to him to make him feel that way? He searched the dark ground near by for any type of weapon but it was empty. There was nothing. _

_"Shhhh..." The creature mocked, still keeping a firm grip on Dean's wrist and now stroking Dean's hair with the other hand, "It's okay. You needn't worry. You're not like the others." _

_"Leave me alone you freak!" Dean spat, his words childish and full of fear but also of strength. _

_"Never." It whispered and smiled, finally releasing its hold on him. _

_Dean immediately started backing away, his limbs moving more freely now, and he just kept backing away until he made contact with the cold wet wall behind him. Now with the adrenaline pumping through his system his senses started working overtime and he felt himself gag on the putrid smell that filled the air. He had to force the bile back down his throat; he rolled onto his knees, in position just in case it decided to come back up. _

_His hand touched something sticky and now that his eyes finally adjusted to the dark, he saw a crimson pool beneath him. He stood up and stumbled away, frantically searching the small room he was in. His breathing quickened, as did his heart rate and he felt his mind reeling, spinning. A strong feeling of claustrophobia and he was sure the walls were moving in, but they weren't. And that stench was getting stronger. What the hell was it? What could smell that foul? _

_He kept stumbling, running his hands along the wet walls, searching for a way out, searching for something, anything. But the something he found was not the something he wanted. It was a child, the same age as him, eyes blankly staring ahead. It wasn't until Dean went to shake the child for some response that he realised it was dead. Was this what was going to happen to him? _

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day 

Shaking uncontrollably, Dean ran towards the bathroom, pushing past Sam and falling to the floor just in front of the toilet. And then he started to hurl. Every last piece of anything that was inside his stomach came back up and ended up filling the toilet. The smell didn't help him control his nausea, but finally, ten minutes later he flushed it all away and unsteadily stood up to rinse him mouth out and splash his face with cold water.

"Dean?" Sam asked; first aid kit still in hand. He'd lent against the wall next to the bathroom, not wanting to disturb Dean because he knew the answer he'd have gotten but not Dean was finished.

Whether he was just ignoring the concerned Sam or whether was just too preoccupied to hear him, Dean didn't reply. He just made his way over to his bed and sat down, his head once again in his hands.

"Dean, what's wrong?"

"M'fine." Dean mumbled.

"You were just throwing your guts up for no reason. That's far from fine." Sam knelt down in front of his brother and dragged his right hand out, it still needed cleaning and dressing. The movement caused Dean to fall forward slightly but he caught himself and made himself comfortable once again, just letting Sam deal with the wound.

"If this has anything to do with that creature, I need to know." Sam said, pressing on the wound a little harder than he needed to.

Dean didn't want to talk about it. That snippet of memory had been enough to make him physically sick and he didn't want to think about it but those dead hollow eyes of the little boy kept flashing in front of his minds eye, "Please… Sam." He pleaded.

Sam glanced over at the closet door and the chair jammed into place, this case was getting too personal. "Tell me."

Dean shook his head and opened his mouth; he didn't know how to tell him. He followed Sam's gaze over to chair.

"Then at least tell me why you did that." Sam said.

Dean continued to stare at the door, the creature's words circling in his mind – _"I'll be back for you." _He forced his eyes away and focused them on the floor instead, but he couldn't help remembering those other words either, from the memory or waking nightmare, whatever it had been – His desperate plea of _"Leave me alone you freak!" _and it's reply of_ "Never." _

"I don't want to talk about it Sam."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	10. I've got you

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

I swear, when I'm finished this story I'm going to reread it all and pick up on all those little annoying mistakes that I missed before and then reupload it once it's been perfected. My internet has totally refused to let me on so I haven't been able to update which really bugs me. But here's chapter 10… YEY!

Again – I have to say, thank you for the reviews. Also, I don't know if I've actually added a disclaimer to this story so I'll add one now :D – _Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or the characters and I am not making any money from this story._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

10. I've got you

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_It didn't take long to convince Sammy to help. In fact he was desperate to once he'd learned his older brother was in trouble. The young child who had been quite happy in dreamland half an hour ago was now wide awake and helping his father and Bobby locate the creatures current lair, if anything he was happier doing research and fuelled on by the thought of Dean in danger._

_His father and Bobby hadn't gone into great detail about what the thing was, just that it was bad and probably ugly and it took children, more specifically, children the age of nine. They didn't mention why, they didn't need to but Sam could see that they knew, even he knew when they weren't giving all the details. It was a need to know basis and he didn't need to know, he didn't care either because the explanation would just waste time that could be spent on finding Dean. Oh how times would change._

_One thing they had explained though was why they needed his help, again not going into great detail but he got the jist. He was a kid, only kids could see it therefore they needed him._

"_If you see it, you stay the hell away from it, you got me?" His father said, concern flooding over the anger in the words, "You shout of me or Bobby and we'll sort it out."_

_Sammy nodded in agreement._

"_John! I've found something. Seems like a match."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Bobby stared quizzically at his phone. One second Sam had been there and Bobby had been about to tell him everything and the next, the phone was dead. Or at least it sounded dead. He hung up and tried to call back but he got no answer. Underneath his breath he cursed and headed for his jacket, looks like he was taking a road trip and he prayed to God he wouldn't be too late.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Okay. So he didn't want to talk about it. Big deal. Didn't mean anything. But this was Dean, of course it meant something. Yeah, his brother could be irrational and downright crazy sometimes but he normally had a reason. And it's not like he made a habit out of climbing over beds and slamming closet doors shut. Something was bothering Dean and Sam just didn't know what to say to make him open up.

"Dude, I'm fine. Just tired, okay?" Dean sighed, standing up.

Sam just sat there as he got ready for bed; he glanced at the clock, barely sparing the time a thought. It didn't feel so late but after everything that had happened, he wasn't surprised at how much time had passed and this whole night had obviously taken its toll on Dean. Sam closed his eyes slightly and just listened, it wasn't until he heard the squeaking of the wrong bed that he opened them again.

Dean had crawled into the bed Sam had claimed. The one that was nearest to the closet. He thought about disputing it, telling him that he wasn't the one kidnapped at a young age and he wasn't the one that could see the freak and that maybe just once it was Dean that needed protecting. But he didn't. Not tonight. Not right now because now that he thought about it, he actually was quite tired and if they were going to figure this out, he needed a clear head. So he crawled into the other bed.

"Night Dean."

"Night Sam." Dean muttered back to his little brother. He had no intention of falling asleep anytime soon. He was too afraid of what he might see. Too afraid that those hollow eyes would be there, or even worse those grey ones. But he couldn't stay awake for ever and if he didn't sleep Sam would notice.

He rolled over onto his side and stared at the closet door. What on earth had happened to him when he was younger? What had been so bad that his mind had blocked it out? All he had one was snippet of a memory and there was still so much missing. He hoped he would get to talk to Bobby before Sam because he had a few questions and he didn't want Sam knowing the answers.

It wasn't long before the darkness came to take him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_He was leaning against the opposite wall, head turned determinedly away from the dead boy. He'd heard his Dad list several names of the missing children and when John hadn't been looking; he'd even snuck a peek at a few of the files. The photos that had been attached had been of smiling happy children who knew nothing but the joys that existed in their lives. The body opposite him was nothing like those pictures. It was like an empty shell. Dean couldn't even tell who it had once belonged to._

"_What do you want?" Dean asked, not sparing the venom that flowed angrily through his veins. He didn't expect a reply. He thought the creature would probably be somewhere else by now, maybe choosing his next prey for when Dean ended up nothing but a shell._

"_I want many things." The voice replied, Dean felt like he was losing himself again, the room was darkening, even the smell was disappearing but he still managed to feel the breath that accompanied the voice against his ear._

_He turned quickly and found himself face to face with the creature again, "What do you want from me?" He emphasised the word 'me', forcing his anger out on it._

_It smiled and Dean wished it wouldn't. The smile made the freezing cold air even colder and the goose bumps that already littered his skin seemed to sting as the icy chill touched them. It reached out a hand and placed it firmly on Dean's chest. He could feel his heart beating severely fast and he was sure the creature could too, he struggled with each breath but did not pull away because he was stronger than that, he was braver than that._

"_Many things but mainly I just want you. You could be the one."_

_Even at the young age of nine, Dean had a sharp tongue and many witty remarks, and so he swallowed and managed to say, "Sorry, you're not really my type. Plus I'm pretty sure it's illegal. I'm a minor."_

_Its smile widened and for the slightest second, maybe even less, Dean managed to wonder why but then he knew as he felt the nails dig into his chest. He couldn't help the cry of pain that escaped and he tried his best to lash out._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"Dean!" Sam called, one hand trying to restrain his brother and the other covering what he was sure was the start of a bloody nose. He'd woken up to hear Dean tossing and turning about and was immediately at his side when he'd heard the cry of pain. And then Sam cried out in pain as his brother's stray fist hit him in the nose.

Then it stopped. Dean sat up suddenly, breathing heavily, his hand moving to clutch his chest and he just stared straight ahead with a look of terror in his eyes. He still felt the pain lingering in his chest and the lack of strength made him just want to fall back onto his pillow but he refused, too scared he'd close his eyes again.

"Dean?" Sam whispered uncertainly and he moved his hand to his brother's neck, forcing him to look at him instead of the opposite wall.

"Sam?" Dean whispered back and Sam could see the walls were breaking down. As much as Sam wanted Dean to open up more often, he didn't want his strong protective brother to be _broken._

Sam pulled Dean into an embrace that he was almost positive Dean would try and escape but his brother just stayed still and allowed the comforting contact. "It's okay." Sam breathed, "Its okay, I've got you."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A/N: Please don't kill me! I'm not really a 'Sam and Dean should hug' person, it just kind of happened, so for those who hate those moments, please don't kill me. Please… 


	11. Dead boys can’t talk

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Thank you for continuing to follow my story!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

11. Dead boys can't talk

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_Bobby had hesitated at first, saying that they didn't know for certain and the information could be wrong. Sure, the creature liked dark out of the way places with a horrid and gruesome history and if possible, plenty of bloodshed but that didn't mean it would be this place. Just the word made John's stomach turn. _

_Slaughterhouse._

_His son had been taken to a goddamn slaughter house! He was barely holding it together just thinking of the possibilities. Slaughterhouses didn't have a reputation for being comfy or cosy, they were vile and disgusting and definitely not a place for a nine year old. _

"_Slaughterhouse?" Sammy had asked. The word was unfamiliar to him; it wasn't tainted with horrific images or gruesome ideas. It was just another strange word that he had yet to learn. Though even if he knew what the word represented, he wouldn't have let it stop him from getting to Dean._

_It had been a whole day since John had found Dean missing, a whole day. He'd felt helpless and angry the entire time, he'd shouted at Bobby several times and even snapped at Sammy a couple of other times. Patience was a virtue but you could just go and screw your virtues because some evil son of a bitch had kidnapped John Winchesters son and there was nothing in heaven, hell or earth that could stop this raging bull. So he drove like a mad man towards the slaughterhouse, his passengers buckled up safely._

_The rising sun made the building in front of them appear like one big shadow. It was big, not ridiculously so though, it was surrounded by small towns after all and small towns didn't need much meat. They would have been even smaller when this place was actually open and running. It had been closed down at the turn of the twentieth century for failure to adhere to the acts and regulations that were in place, not a comforting thought._

"_Can you see anything Sammy?" John asked, one hand gripping the small hand that had weaved its way into his._

"_No…"_

"_Keep your eyes peeled." John grabbed his weapons bag with his free hand and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing a shotgun, "And if I tell you to look away, you look away."_

_Bobby knew that John hated the idea of exposing Sam to all of this terror, especially at such a young age and he'd even seen the look in his friends eyes back at the apartment when he'd told him it was a slaughterhouse. It was a look that was reconsidering using Sammy's help but as much as he didn't want to taint that childish innocence, it was the only thing they had._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

After a few minutes of silence, Dean finally began to squirm from the embrace, like a child might do when a parent hugged them in public. Sam released his hold and took to just looking at his brother instead who deliberately avoided his gaze.

"You're gonna have to tell me Dean. This could be important to the case so you're gonna have to tell me." Sam whispered.

"I don't know how to." Dean replied, his voice was barely audible but Sam managed to hear.

"You remember, don't you? From when you were a kid, right?"

Dean shrugged, "It's just flashes, bits and pieces."

"But you remember?" Sam pushed.

"There's a reason I forgot." Dean mumbled and Sam was sure he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"Maybe there's a reason why you remember too."

"I don't want to." There was finality in his tone and to prove the point he threw his covers off and climbed out of bed.

But walking away from Sam only angered him, made him push harder because he could see that this was killing Dean and if it was killing his strong over-protective brother, he couldn't imagine what those other kids would be going through, the ones who weren't raised like warriors.

"So what? We just forget this whole case because you had a bad dream? What about those kids? What about Jacob? You made him a promise."

Dean span around and snarled at Sam, "Don't make me out to be the bad guy just because I don't wanna play care and share with you. There's no way I'd walk away from this case or those kids!"

"But?" Sam sensed a 'but' coming, a 'but' that Dean didn't want to say.

"But I don't know how many we'll find alive." Dean said, the anger in his voice directed inwards because for some reason, he couldn't help but blame himself, thinking he should have got there sooner or he should be working faster.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_When the burning pain had finally subsided, Dean was left feeling empty and violated. His eyes just stared unblinking into the darkness that had returned and his breathing was irregular and his heartbeat barely there. A voice somewhere in the back of his mind told him to get a grip on himself, this was not Winchester behaviour but another voice just kept on asking unanswerable questions._

_Where the hell was his father? Had he even noticed his eldest was missing? How long had he been down here anyway? Including the time he'd been out, it had probably been over a day but Dean couldn't be sure. He didn't want to think about it, if he thought about it, it made him wonder how much longer he would stay down here and how long before the creature comes back and how long before he completely breaks down?_

"_You can't have me." He choked out, his mind trying to stay strong, and fighting against whatever the creature had done to him. If he was honest, he felt more like something had been taken. His strength. This creature was taking away his strength. That explained things, explained why whenever the creature was near he could barely move. It didn't help things though. All it meant was he knew what was happening._

_He blinked, taking a deep and shuddering breath, letting it escape slowly. The longer the creature was gone, the more his strength returned and his senses started working in their normal ways again, allowing that disgusting dead smell to infiltrate his nostrils, making him nauseas again and his eyes again locked with the empty eyes of that dead boy._

"_How long does it last?" He asked the boy, "How long before he takes it all and you just die?"_

_He coughed and looked away, realising for the first time that his throat itched. He was thirsty and hungry for that matter. He couldn't remember the last time he'd drank or eaten and he didn't expect this thing to feed him. The only liquid in this place appeared to be blood and he would never get that desperate._

_Taking his mind off his hunger, he continued his conversation with the dead non-responsive boy, "My dad will find me. He'll come and get me and he'll kill this thing."_

_The dead boy said nothing._

"_I know he will. He has to…"_

_The boy still said nothing._

"_You just watch."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He was still too far away but he was driving as fast as he could go, way past the legal limit. He'd stop at the next gas station, fill his tank up and maybe get a coffee but he wouldn't stay long, he couldn't afford the time. He'd try the brothers phone's again when he stopped; he'd have to get a hold of them anyway because it would be the quickest way of finding out where in Colorado they actually were. But if they didn't answer he'd just have to pick up the same missing children trail that they had.

He glanced at the clock. He'd been driving for six hours straight now, at least. It was late, or early, depending on your view but that didn't matter. He just had to get to the boys, to Dean, before this thing had yet another shot at him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	12. Sweet Sweet Child

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Grrr! FF please fix the problems… please? Pretty please? Anyway, on with the story.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

12. Sweet Sweet Child

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

"_I can't get at it." The voice came suddenly, making Dean jump. At first he thought the dead boy had actually spoken but then he realised the creature was back. It only drew a little of his strength this time, leaving him with plenty of defiance, "Why can't I reach it?"_

"_Maybe you're just too short." Dean shot, not particularly caring what the creature was talking about. He could feel it getting closer, the air freezing as its breath touched it._

"_It's the brightest I've seen but it's too well hidden. I can't reach it." It growled slightly as it spoke the last three words, probably in frustration._

"_I was quite happy with you being gone you know."_

"_I heard your conversation with Charlie." That's when Dean saw where the creature was, it was standing between Dean and the dead boy, "He didn't get a word in edge ways."_

"_You sick sadistic fu.."_

"_Language." The thing mocked, cutting Dean's curse off before he could finish._

_And with movements far too fast to see, or maybe they had never been there in the first place, the creature was kneeling in front of Dean, it's grey eyes searching Dean's hazel ones, it's breath worse than the God awful stench of the room and it spoke again, questioning Dean, "I got the others. They were easy. Even when they were dead, I got theirs, 'cept one girl didn't die but I can't get yours. Why can't I reach it?"_

"_Because it's not yours to reach." Dean flinched as it placed a hand on his face, he didn't know what this thing was talking about, all he knew was that overwhelming fear and need to get away had returned._

"_I can taste it in your blood; maybe if I taste enough I can get at it." In one swift movement, it swiped its nails across the part of Dean's face it had been touching only momentarily before and Dean lifted his hand up to cover it. It didn't like the wound being covered though and it threw his hand away, it wanted to see the blood ooze out and then when enough had oozed out, it would enjoy._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. And then Sam picked up. Bobby let out a long heavy sigh of relief. The short 'hello' sounded distracted but safe. "You know how long I been trying to call you?"

"The reception went dead, couldn't get a signal anywhere in the room and I…" Sam's voice went quiet, hushed, almost a whisper, "I didn't want to leave Dean alone."

Last time they'd spoken Sam had said Dean was fine; he'd even answered the question as if it had been a ridiculous one to ask but that was before he'd been told about Dean being taken. Bobby had to wonder though whether the concern in the young hunters voice was because of what he'd been told or because something had happened, "He still okay?"

"Dean's always okay." Sam replied, mocking his brothers constant replies of 'I'm fine', 'I'm okay' and so on and so on, "Yeah he's just great, shoved a chair against the closet door, started having nightmares and now he's just having a shower. What happened to him Bobby?"

"To be honest, I know about the sorts of things this creature does but I don't know how much it did to Dean. He didn't talk about it, we didn't push and he just kind of buried it all deep in his mind. The place where he was… it wasn't somewhere anyone should be kept, let alone a kid." The memory stuck out in Bobby's mind, when they had finally found Dean, they were amazed he was still there, mentally.

"Do you know how to kill this thing?"

"Thought we did. But we were wrong." The waitress finally returned with Bobby's coffee and Bobby nodded at her, carrying the foam cup away from the counter. He turned his side towards the door and opened it, still keeping his grip on the coffee and the phone, "Look, I'm on my way to Colorado now, can probably get there before it gets too late, you just gotta tell me where 'bouts in Colorado you are."

Bobby put the coffee on the bonnet of the car and pulled a piece of paper and pen from the glove compartment, scribbling down the directions that Sam gave him, "Take care and don't do anything stupid."

"What about the kid? The one it tried to take last night?"

"I don't think it'll try anything with him, not now it knows it's got Deans attention." Bobby cursed under his breath, if they'd just managed to kill the thing the first time Dean wouldn't have to deal with it. Hell, even the second time, "I'll tell you everything when I get there. Keep an eye on him."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He was hot, he felt sick and filthy and the memories that just kept flooding back weren't making him feel any better. So he just stood underneath the cool shower and tried to relax. Everything that he'd been starting to remember, he just wanted to forget again. It was too much to deal with all at once and he was battling to keep his game face on, barely managing to hold onto it at all. He knew it had slipped and Sam had seen but that didn't mean he had to let it stay down, it didn't mean he had to even admit it had slipped in the first place.

The refreshing water just ran over him, tickling and soothing and he rolled his neck and shoulders, trying to ease the tense muscles. It was so peaceful and quite that he jumped when Sam started knocking on the door, calling his name. He moaned and shouted back, "What?"

"You've been in there over an hour, how much longer you gonna be?" was Sam's muffled and concerned reply.

Had he really been in over an hour? He hadn't even realised it. No wonder Sam sounded concerned. "I'll be out in a minute."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_John Winchester liked to work alone on hunts. He hated distractions and sometimes other people just got in the way, even the best of hunters could make clumsy mistakes. But sometimes even the great John Winchester needed help from time to time._

_When John did work with other hunters, normally they'd split up to search a big building like the one staring down at him. But this was not a normal hunt. Had it been a normal hunt, Sam and Dean would be tucked safely in their beds and he and Bobby would be half way done by now. Instead, Dean had been taken by some sick creature that was doing God knows what to him and Sammy was with him and on look out._

_Approach with caution, that was one of the unwritten laws of hunting and that's what they did. They approached with severe caution and came to a door that hung loosely open, it's hinges barely attached. When Bobby pushed it all the way open, he wasn't surprised at the crashing sound it made as it came completely away from the frame and landed on the floor._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"_My sweet sweet child." It caressed his bleeding cheek and licked its lips in anticipation at the taste, "My sweet sweet Dean."_

_Dean gagged and turned away as it licked the blood, his blood, from its hand. It wanted more than strength from him and he was beginning to fear that his Dad wouldn't make it time before it stole whatever it wanted._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	13. Some things are worse than silence

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Thanks for sticking through this story so far! It would probably still be an annoying little plot bunny if it wasn't for your kind reviews!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

13. Some things are worse than silence

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"Bobby's on his way." Sam announced when Dean exited from the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist.

Dean looked at Sam and nodded in acknowledgement, doing a double take when the new piece of information actually sunk in, "Wait, what?"

"Bobby… he's on his way. He's gonna help us with the case."

"I thought there wasn't a signal." Dean's brow furrowed questioningly as he began digging out some clean clothes from his duffle bag.

"There wasn't." Sam turned away as his brother got dressed, "He said he was gonna explain everything as soon as he got here."

"What else did he say?" Dean's voice shook as he asked the question; he really didn't want Sam knowing about all the things he was remembering.

"There is one thing…"

"What?"

"Well, I don't think he knows how to kill it."

Silence met this revelation; it was a very uncomfortable silence that left both brothers kind of shuffling from one foot to the other, thinking of something to say.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_The silence was broken only by their footsteps as they began their search. Sammy's hand felt clammy and sweaty, causing it to continuously slip from his fathers grip but each Winchester kept tight hold, desperate not to lose that connection. His young and frightened eyes darted about, glancing in the shadows but seeing nothing but darkness. He inched himself towards his father, lengthening his stride as much as he could so he wouldn't slow them down._

_The whole place was stained with many different discoloured marks; though thankfully none of them were particularly reddish brown but this was just the entrance way. The real action happened down the stairs at the end of the corridor and the closer they got, the more they noticed the disgusting smell. Sammy and Bobby moved their free hands up to cover their mouth and nose, John though, who had no free hands, just tried his best to only breathe through his mouth._

_Bobby used the end of his gun to push the door to the stairs and after a couple of nudges, it creaked open and the smell became even more powerful. He looked down into the darkness and moaned, there was no way they'd be able to go down there without a flashlight, and that meant he'd have to use both his hands. But this wasn't about some overpowering smell, this was about Dean and just thinking about how long Dean must have been here gave him the will to the forget about the smell._

"_John, we gotta be careful now. We gotta be extra vigilant 'cause if he's down there with it, the other kids might be with him." Bobby said in a hushed voice, pointing the flashlight down the stairs and then he gasped._

_John joined him in looking down. So this was where all those reddish brown stains had been hiding. It wasn't as bad on the stairwell but the further down it went, the more the floor became littered with dried reddish sludge, in some places it had even managed to be splashed up the walls. No wonder this place was closed down. This wasn't a slaughterhouse, this was torture chamber._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Still going well past the speed limit, Bobby just kept driving, taking as many back roads as he could so he could avoid any possible trouble. The empty foam coffee cup rolled about lamely on the passenger side floor, the instructions Sam had given him had been shoved into the glove compartment and he only stopped every now and then to check he was still going in the right direction. His eyes glanced at the clock, it was noon and he couldn't remember the last thing he'd eaten but he ignored his growling stomach, waiting for a meal would take too long.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The silence still lingered in the room, only it was interrupted every now and then by Dean moving into a more comfortable position on the bed and by Sam typing away on his laptop. Sam kept glancing at Dean, watching him, but Dean refused to meet his stare, he refused to look anywhere but the opposite wall. Once or twice Sam thought he'd seen Dean's eyes looking over at the closet door, which still had the chair shoved up against it so it couldn't be opened.

There was also a clock on one of the walls that kept tick, tick, ticking away, breaking through the silence and it was that noise which grated on Sam the most. It grated on him so much that he found himself crying out, walking over to the stupid freaking clock, pulling it down off the wall, turning it over and taking the goddamn batteries out. Dean of course, had watched in amusement, _probably glad for the distraction from his memories_ Sam thought.

"Clock killer." Dean muttered slyly and Sam couldn't help but smile.

"You're not gonna let me forget that anytime soon are you?"

Dean smirked and shook his head, "Nope, not any_time_ soon." He emphasised the word time and waited for Sam's comeback, when none came, he just carried on, "Okay then you clockicidal person you. I'm hungry. Feed me."

"Feed you? When did you become incapable of feeding yourself?" Sam laughed. "And stop making words up."

"Yes, never and no." Dean smiled, happy to see the confusion on Sam's face, "Come on, I feel like going to that diner on the edge of town."

As annoying as Dean was, Sam had to agree. He was hungry and he kept losing his train of thought. So he pulled his hoodie on and zipped it half way up, leading the way out of the room. Dean grabbed his leather jacket and followed, quickly glancing back at the closet before leaving. He was happy to get away from that room because unlike Sam, he hadn't heard the dead silence or the ticking clock; he'd heard the noises coming from the cupboard. He was sure Sam couldn't hear them or he'd have already suggested leaving the room when they started shortly after the silence had hit in.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_If he thought the silence had been bad, the noises filling the room and his head were pure torture. It had started when the creature left him again, telling him that he knew how much Dean hated the silence but not to worry. At first it had been a soft whimpering, he'd thought it might have been him but when he realised it wasn't, he called out a choked 'hello?'._

_Then came the scratching, just like rats scurrying, but then it became spine chilling like fingernails on a chalkboard. Shivers ran through Dean with each whimper and each scratch and he tried to block them out but the harder he tried, the louder they got. And then the screaming started. Wailing and screaming and sobbing, like tormented souls crying all at once and all out of tune. His hands covered his ears now and he shouted for it to stop, he begged for it to stop because it was too loud, too much and too painful. _

_And what felt like hours later, when the silence came, he was afraid to speak, afraid to break it._


	14. Scratches

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Just wanna say thanks again to everyone! Here's the next chapter!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

14. Scratches

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dean would have argued with Sam after they'd eaten, would have begged to go to a bar instead of going back to the motel room, where that thing was just waiting for him, but he knew he couldn't. Bobby was coming and they didn't know when he'd show up. The sky had been darkening since they left the diner and as they approached the motel in the Impala, there was very little sign that day had even existed, the sun hidden well behind all the buildings and the half moon glowing softly amongst the twinkling stars that had started to appear.

Sam smiled as they pulled into the car park noticing the rear lights of Bobby's truck as it was being parked. Dean only half smiled, his mind half lost in memories, he felt sickened that memories could make him so afraid of something, even after all the horrible things he'd faced and killed.

"What took you?" Sam teased, jumping out of the Impala and heading for Bobby before the car had even stopped.

"Traffic was bad." The older hunter smirked in reply, he couldn't help but notice how Dean seemed to be lacking his normal enthusiasm and fire and his smirk turned into a frown but he said nothing.

Sam followed Bobby's gaze and sighed, watching Dean getting out of the car, "It's killing him, all those memories."

"I'm not surprised, he was a mess when we found him, barely said a thing for two days."

"I'm not deaf." Dean snapped, rounding the car to join Sam and Bobby outside the room door, "We going in or what?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

"'_Or what' isn't even an option, never was." John growled lightly, picking up his youngest and carrying him at his side, he didn't want Sammy to have to stand on the stuff or slip as they were going down, "We're going in."_

_Bobby nodded and readjusted the bag on his back so it was more comfortable; he then tightened his grip on the flashlight and gun. He had the light so he was going first. He took each step cautiously, eyes scanning all around out of habit more than anything else; after all, this thing was invisible to him and John._

"_Remember Sammy, you see this thing, you tell us straight away and when I tell you not to look, you close your eyes and you don't look. Got me?" Sammy bit his lip and bounced his head up and down softly, eyes never leaving his fathers, he was shivering slightly now, scared of what would be waiting when they got down there._

"_We're gonna get him back aren't we?" He mumbled and his father smiled._

"'_Course we are kiddo."_

_Bobby nearly slipped at the bottom of the stairwell, foot sliding in the slimy sludge that filled all of the second to last step. He had to drop the light in order to grab the gruesome rail, which left his hand feeling kind of sticky and stained slightly red. Once he'd steadied himself, he bent down and picked his flashlight up, sending John and Sammy a quick "I'm okay."_

_John and Sammy reached the bottom of the stairwell now and John, noticing that the floor wasn't nearly as bad as he originally thought it was, put Sammy down beside him. Sam's eyes were flashing all over, moving from one blood stain to the next, John just lifted his chin and forced Sammy to stare into only his eyes and he spoke softly "Don't stare at the marks, just look out for movement."_

"_John… we've got a problem." Bobby called from two feet in front. John looked up and he immediately saw what Bobby meant. They were in a long corridor, so long you couldn't see the end in this light but that wasn't the problem._

"_Where are the doors?" John demanded, standing up from his kneeling position, "There were doors and rooms on the plan. Where the hell are they?"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Sam went in first, he didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned that Dean actually didn't argue but then again, it was only a motel room. He opened the door wide and Bobby followed him inside, followed by Dean at the rear.

"What the…?" Sam muttered as he rounded the bed nearest to the closet. The chair that had been propping the door shut now lay on the ground and the door was ajar once again. Cautiously, Sam opened it and looked inside; his eyes were drawn to the long scratches down the back of the door moving in all directions.

"Sam…" Dean growled threateningly, now rounding the bed as well, his stride long and angry. He grabbed the closet door from Sam's grip and slammed it closed before grabbing a fistful of Sam's shirt and shoving him up against the door, it had a graceful air to it the way he executed the moves, "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Do what?" Sam asked, a little frightened by the waves of anger that came from brother but happy none the less to see that spark of Dean's.

Dean took a deep breath and let go of Sam, "Put yourself at risk like that. It could have been there waiting and you wouldn't have been able to do anything because you can't see it, remember?"

He hadn't forgotten, he remembered quite well because Dean was the only one who could see it. It was a foolish curiosity that had made him open the door and look inside and he regretted doing it but if he hadn't, he wouldn't have seen the scratches. "I know, I'm sorry but you take a look at that door, it's scratched to pieces like someone's been clawing at it."

Bobby strode over to the closet, pushing both brothers gently out the way so he could open it and look inside, "I'm guessing it's tired of waiting."

"Then you better get on with explaining about this thing before it decides to have another go." Sam urged.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_The blood had finally stopped running down from the cuts in his cheek but they still stung as the occasional tears ran over them. The slice across his palm throbbed and ached. He shivered, his body complaining about the lack of heat, foot and water but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but stare ahead into the emptiness. Once or twice he thought he'd heard voices but he didn't dare call out in case it was a trick and either the creature would come back or all those noises._

_But that didn't matter. Even without calling out to the voices, the creature still came. Dean felt so weak; he just wanted it all to be over, he wanted to be back with his Dad and Sammy, sleeping soundly. The creature knew this and for some reason it decided it was fun to tease Dean about his family, taunting him, threatening him._

"_I won't lie. I don't need to. They're looking for you. They're somewhere outside these four walls and they're looking for you." It said, in an almost sing song voice, "But they won't find you. They can't find you. And if they do find you, I'll kill them and I'll make you watch."_

"_Leave them alone." Dean muttered._

"_If you give up, I'll let them leave alive."_

"_They won't leave without me."_

_The creature looked over to the dead boy, Charlie it had once called him, "They will if they think you're dead."_

_Dean gulped, "They won't believe it's me."_

"_I can manipulate surroundings which includes dead things. I can make them see what I want them too. I won't let you leave, not when you're the key."_

"_I bet I don't fit your lock." Dean mumbled, it was getting harder to form words but he managed to keep the same amount of venom in each one. His head lolled forward and his eyes fell closed. Sleep, sleep sounded good._

"_Wake up!" It screeched in his ear, he flinched but refused to open his eyes. _

_It grew mad and impatient, flexing it's nails and when Dean just kept on refusing to lift his head and open his eyes, it decided to slash his upper left arm and his lower legs. The shock got it the reaction it wanted and as more blood began to ooze from Dean, he bit back a hiss from all the burning pain._

"_Now then my tasty little Dean." Its eyes locked with his, "You're gonna be a good boy and let me take it. Because yours is different… and you will give it to me. Don't be greedy."_


	15. Shell of a former self

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

This chapters a little late 'cause I had a bit of trouble wording it and it just wasn't working at first but I hope I fixed the problems! So here ya go!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

15. Shell of a former self

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"This thing is old; don't know how old exactly just that it was born from nightmares a long time ago. Don't even know where it originates from but as far as we could tell, there's only ever been one. Oh don't get me wrong, there's plenty more like it with similar tastes and all but there's only one of it." Bobby took a breath; the boys eyes were trained on him, listening intently to every word he said, "The best part is how much it sounds like the legend of the Boogeyman, only it's nothing like the stories. In Bulgaria you got the Torbalan, in Russia you got the Babay and there's the Bicho Papão, the Bebok and all other names from all over the world but in evey single one of those stories, it comes to take the bad kids, the ones who refused to eat their veggies, stuck chewing gum in their sisters hair or said a curse word. So even though I'm pretty sure it's been travelling, I couldn't say if these names belonged to this creature because it doesn't like the bad kids 'cause the bad kids can't feed it what it wants."

"Something that only kids have… 'cause you're supposed to lose it as you grow up. It gets tainted and darkened, right?" Dean asked, his mind running through moments in his life, trying to figure out why the creature would even think he had it, especially now.

"Childish innocence. Purity. As far as this things concerned, it exists in the heart and soul because children are born with a clean slate that's gets drawn on through the years, they live with fantasies and dreams that are forgotten as they grow and their views on the world, once simple and colourful become tainted and grey." Bobby shook his head slightly, as if saddened by what he'd said. Dean still continued to watch him, paying Bobby so much attention that he failed to notice that Sam had started watching him instead and hadn't taken his eyes off him since Dean had spoken up.

"And this thing can only be seen by people who have this innocence or purity thing?" Sams deliberate emphasis on the word 'people' caused Dean to turn and look at him.

"Or in other words, only children." Bobby nodded.

"So I'm seeing things now?" Dean demanded, a little more heatedly than he had intended to.

Sam looked a little hurt, Dean could see it in his eyes and he instantly regretted his anger, "We're not saying that Dean. Please, this innocence or whatever that this thing feeds on, you still have it, so you can still see it. And…" Sam glanced at the closet, thinking about the scratches, "It obviously wants you."

_I'll be back for you. _The voice echoed inside Dean's head and even without telling Sam about it, he knew Dean was in danger and from the look in Bobby's eyes, Bobby knew more than he was letting on. But Dean wasn't the priority, at least not in his mind. This thing had those kids and if there was any chance that they were still alive, then they had to try and get them back.

"How do we find it?" Dean asked.

"If we go looking for this thing, we're basically giving it what it wants." Bobby sighed, but he knew it was hopeless.

"Those kids are in danger. If they're alive, the stuff they'll be going through… the longer we leave them the worse it'll get."

"The chances of them being alive are low, back when it took you, you were the only one left. The others were dead. They were…"

"Just shells. I know…" Dean admitted, "But there was one more. This thing told me it didn't kill her. There was a girl."

"When the hell?" Sam asked, but as Bobby started speaking again, he realised Dean must have been talking about his memories as Bobby knew exactly who he was talking about.

"She may have well been dead. She was like an animal…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_There was such little light that it wasn't helping but there were definitely no doors. John and Bobby felt along the wet slimy stones that made up the walls but there was nothing there, no signs that there had ever even been doors. But they kept walking down the corridor anyway, searching. Sam was shivering even more now and John was finding it hard to comfort him, especially when he was growing increasingly scared about the welfare and whereabouts of his eldest._

"_We'll find him, I promise and he'll be fine." John said, gripping Sammy's hand, "It's gonna be fine."_

_Sam only nodded in reply, his eyes still constantly moving around, searching for movement __everywhere, especially in the shadows, along the floor and walls. That's when he saw the swaying motion of an old wooden door that seemed to be ajar. Once he'd seen it, he even heard it creaking. He jumped at first, waiting for his eyes to focus but when he realised what it was, he tugged on his Dad's arm and ran towards the door._

_He didn't think that there might be something dangerous on the other side, or that there might be something that young eyes should never see, his only thought was that Dean might be on there, waiting to be rescued and woken from this horrible nightmare._

_But Dean wasn't on the other side. When the door was pushed open and Sam moved into the room, he saw a small body huddled in the corner, it looked like a child or so he guessed by the size and shape. It was too small to be Dean though and long matted hair hid the face from view – last time Sam checked, Dean had short hair._

"_Hello?" Sam whispered his voice a little shaky as was his body as he walked further into the room, towards the body._

_He thought he heard a snarl in reply and before he even had chance to react, the child had thrown themselves at him sending him down where he felt his body and head collide painfully with the floor. Then it was on top of him, growling and swiping at his features. Dulled eyes stared hungrily at him. It was a girl, older than him yes but still, he should have at least been able to push her off him._

_And then after another swipe across the face with heavy broken nails that tore into his skin, making it bleed, her weight was lifted off of him and he felt himself scurrying away from her. A large hand on his shoulder kept him in place though and he panicked. _

"_Sammy! Sam, it's okay. Settle down. I've got you." He heard his fathers words and felt himself being pulled into an embrace, "Shhh, it's okay. I've got you."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"…she nearly tore Sam apart and she wouldn't have stopped."

"You didn't kill her?" Dean asked, shocked by what he'd been told.

"No. We had to restrain her until we found you and then… she spent a good few years in the pysch ward before died. From what I heard, she damn near killed someone and if she hadn't been shot, well, they wouldn't have survived."

"And this thing did that to her?" Sam asked. His brow furrowed, trying to recollect the memory but nothing came, maybe an echo or a whisper but nothing solid that he could grab hold of.

"She was the sweetest little girl. Wanted to be a princess when she grew up, that's what her parents told me and yer Dad. This thing stole her innocence and it didn't even bother to finish her off, like it had finished the others."

Dean felt his heart skip a beat thinking about the young girl and he found himself questioning if this thing had managed to steal any part him back then. Of course, he wouldn't voice his fears because they were his own and he wasn't planning on burdening Sam and Bobby with them. He hadn't even told them about the noises yet which since returning to the motel room had yet to start again, but this made him worry even more, wondering if the thing was listening to them or off somewhere else, torturing one of those children.


	16. The things we do for love

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Okay – I know, there are a couple of moments in this chapter where you're just going to scream at them all and please do because they're not listening to me. Anyway, brief moment of insanity over, please enjoy.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

16. The things we do for love

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"It takes them to a local place with a dark history, preferably with plenty of bloodshed." Bobby finally said.

"Good. So we just gotta find the right place and then we'll go and kick its ass." Dean replied simply.

_Why does__ he have to make it sound so easy?_ Sam thought, sighing, "We don't know how to kill it."

"We've tried silver, lead, iron, salt, none of that stuff works on it. There's no incantations out there that we know of and no amulets or charms. Dean, killing this thing ain't going to be like a salt and burn, not to mention the fact that me and Sam can't see the damned thing."

"We'll figure something out but our priority is getting those children."

There was no use arguing with him. He had his mind set and when Dean was determined to do something, you couldn't persuade him otherwise, especially not when lives were at stake.

Sam and Dean took turns on the laptop whilst Bobby 'rested his eyes'. He was tired and they couldn't blame him, Dean knew exactly how it felt to drive hours on end and he was sure that any caffiene in Bobby's system would be long gone by now. So Bobby slept, he was laid fully clothed on one of the beds.

"Dean…" Sam spoke softly from infront of the laptop and Dean looked up from one of the printouts, "I should be able to help more, should remember what happened. I should remember about you going missing."

"Sam you were a kid. You barely remember any of those times, hell, you don't even remember the shtriga." Dean smirked, "Besides, what's there for you to remember?"

"I dunno." He muttered lamely, "But you went missing…"

"And I came back. That's all your hopeless geek mind needed to know."

Sam would have nodded and smiled in reply but instead he growled in frustration at the screen, "You know this town seems completely clean. I can't find anything except the recent missing children. I mean, come on! No town is this clean!"

"Of course no town is this clean, if a town is this clean it means definate cover up. So start looking for smaller details, like abandoned or renovated buildings. Or even better, go get some coffee or something 'cause we are both about to drop."

"Why don't you get the coffee?"

"'Cause I'm too lazy and my leg's gone to sleep."

Sam felt that smile creep onto his face and watched as his brother started prodding and massaging his leg, willing feeling to come back. He looked over to the dead clock on the wall out of habit and then at the closet, he opened his mouth to speak but Dean cut him off.

"I'll be fine. Bobby's here with me, even if he is fast asleep. Nothing's gonna happen."

So Sam nodded and stood up, pulling his hoodie on and grabbing the car keys that Dean jingled in front of him. He'd drive fast and find the closest place, he wouldn't be long, he promised himself silently, though deep down inside he knew he'd end up regretting it.

Dean went from massaging his leg to massaging his eyes, trying to rub the sleep away. He was so tired but he couldn't sleep, he didn't want to. He pulled the laptop round when he heard the door close and started searching, pulling up several websites and old news article before his eyes started drooping. And it was when he felt his head lolling forward with the need for sleep that he heard it. A cold voice whispering from the darkness of the room.

"_Deanie Deanie came to play, Deanie Deanie went away, Left me all alone that day."_

Dean froze, his heart beating madly as the voice grew louder, the words haunting.

"_Deanie Deanie come with me, Deanie Deanie set me free, Or they will pay and you will see."_

He swallowed hard, he knew exactly who that sing song voice belonged to and he knew exactly what it was implying.

"_One by one I'll make them scream, if you don't give a damn, One by one I'll kill them all and then I'll come for Sam."_

"Son of a…" Dean growled, he hadn't even noticed he was on his feet and staring at the closet door, "You even come near him and I'll…"

"_Follow me and I'll leave them be."_

He looked towards the motel door and then to the sleeping form on the bed. He shouldn't, there's no way he should go anyway near that closet let alone open the door. But he was going to anyway. He pocketed his cell phone and grabbed a gun and knife, making sure they were hidden, he just hoped that this creature couldn't see through doors, or sense his movements. He scribbled a quick note on one of the spare sheets littered on the table.

As soon as he got to wherever it was, and he didn't even understand how he was even going to get there because he'd only seen 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' once and he just didn't understand how it had transported those kids to another world but that was besides the point, he would call Sam and let him know where he was and he'd find those kids.

"Sorry Sammy, but I'm not nine years old anymore." He muttered.

_He pouted silently, telling the darkness that he wasn't a kid and in reply, came a creaking noise._

And with a slightly shaky hand, he reached for the handle and opened the door to be greeted by the darkness that threatened to consume him and the grey eyes that shone at him like he was the things long lost toy. He took a step towards the freezing cold air, felt the hand on his chest and everything went black.

_He grew cold inside and shivered, he swore he saw the shadows move and as he continued to stare into them, his eyes locked with a pair of cold grey ones._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_The blood oozed from his fresh wounds, becoming sticky against his skin. He held his upper arm, trying to ease the pain and he stared intently at those cold grey eyes. Determination overriding lack of strength and the need to protect himself and his family overriding his fear._

"_You're not getting anything from me. I don't give a rat's ass what you claim you can do but you'll leave my family alone!"_

"_If I can't have you then you can't have them." It flashed a cold smile and moved away, back towards the darkness, "How long do you think Sam would last? He's still so young."_

"_No…" Dean demanded and pleaded at the same time._

"_Think about it." It said, "Your choice, either you give me what I want or I'll deal with him and I'll come back and take it using force."_

_And it was gone, leaving only the darkness and the cold and dead Charlie to keep him company._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_John sat on the floor cradling his youngest in his arms for several minutes whilst Bobby found a way to restrain the girl. He placed a kiss on Sammy's temple and Sam closed his eyes and snuggled into his father, glad for the protection and warmth. _

"_What the hell happened to her Bobby?" John demanded, "That's what you meant by different, changed. She's like a wild animal. We've got to find him soon."_

"_We'll get him back and he'll be fine. Dean's a strong kid, he'll be fighting this thing all the way."_

_John nodded and slowly began to stand up, pulling Sam up with him, studying him for any severe wounds, luckily it only seemed to be scratches and possibly a couple of bruises. Sam refused to let go of his fathers hand, holding it tightly in both his own, so John held his gun in the other hand and led his son out of the room._

"_John, you know I was a good few feet in front of you and Sam, this door wasn't here before." Bobby whispered uncertainly, pulling the door almost fully closed behind him._

"_That makes no sense, how can a door just suddenly appear like that?" _

"_Maybe this thing knows we're here and it's trying to scare us away."_

"_I ain't leaving here without Dean." John growled, not at Bobby but towards the darkness and invisible movements that meant this creature could be listening to them. _


	17. Missing

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

I wanted to do more in this chapter but it was just becoming one big paragraph and I had to stop. Anyway – here you go!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

17. Missing

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Sam closed the motel room door behind him and leaned back against it for a moment, eyes unfocused and staring at the ground. He turned his head and looked side ways at the door. Dean would fine, of course he'd be fine and yet Sam couldn't shake that feeling.

"I'm only getting coffee." He muttered angrily at himself, pushing off the door and walking over to the Impala.

He unlocked the door and climbed in, sliding the key into the ignition but he didn't turn it. He just stared at the door in front of him. Dean would probably be continuing where Sam left off on the laptop, he was fine, right?

"Of course he's fine; I'll only be ten minutes." He cursed, "Bobby's with him." _But Bobby's asleep._

"He's fine." He argued, turning the key and causing the Impala to purr, "I'll be back in no time."

He reversed and headed for the car park exit, looking both way. _This thing has been scratching at the door, he wants him badly._

"Dean won't let it take him." Sam swallowed, turning left and heading towards the nearest coffee shop.

_How's he supposed to fight it?_ The voice in the back of his mind continued to argue, _Nothing works on it, how's he supposed to keep it away?_

He groaned loudly and cursed, swinging the wheel back round and forcing the screeching tyres to do a u-turn. "Damn you Dean, you can get your own stupid coffee, dead leg or not."

So not even ten minutes after he'd first left Dean, Sam parked the car back up and strode back into the motel room, ready for Dean's protests, "Look Dean, I don't care what you say, you're a target which means…. Dean?"

His eyes searched the room frantically and his heart felt like it was about to burst in his chest, "Dean?"

He walked over to the bathroom and rapped gently on the door, when he got no answer he opened it slowly and peered in. Nothing. Then he heard the groaning on the bed, Bobby was awake.

"Bobby! Where is he?" Sam demanded.

"You what?" Bobby yawned.

"Dean. Where is he? I wasn't even gone ten minutes and for half that time I was only outside." Sam was visibly shaking now, refusing to look at the closet.

"Sam, calm down. Please. You're sure he didn't just pop out."

"I would have noticed him leave; surely I'd have seen him outside somewhere." Sam bit his lip, "That damned thing came for him… Bobby, it's got him."

"The stupid prick!" Bobby yelled, jumping up off the bed and opening the closet door, staring into it but seeing nothing more than a mere closet, "What the hell was he thinking?"

Perplexed, Sam found himself staring at Bobby, his brow furrowed, "What?"

Bobby ran a hand through his hair, "Sam, there's something I forgot to mention about this creature. Didn't you think it was strange how most the victims were nine years old?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You know pagans have a pretty bad temper right?" Sam couldn't see where Bobby was going but he found himself listening anyway.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Oh God, what the hell had he been drinking? He'd never woken up with a hang over this bad for a long time. He groaned and tried to sit up, but every single part of him just felt so heavy. His head felt like it would just roll off his shoulders if he wasn't careful and if it wasn't for the wall giving its support, he was sure he wouldn't have been able to get into that slightly more comfortable sitting position. A wave of nausea hit him as he shifted. _I really shouldn't have done that._

Forcing his eyelids up, his unfocused eyes scanned the room around him. _What the…?_ And then it all came colliding back. The voice, the closet, the darkness. Adrenaline began to seep through his system, momentarily lightening his limbs so he could lift his arms and pat himself down in search for his weapons and his cell.

"No… oh shit!" He muttered, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

The damn thing had known. It had taken them, so he was once again trapped by this creature, completely defenceless and powerless to help himself.

"Looking for something?" A voice whispered in his left ear, he turned to face it but there was nothing there.

He felt a cold hand touch his right cheek and he flinched, his head heart twisting to look in that direction instead and he wished he hadn't moved so quickly because he now had a painful crick in his neck. His hazel green eyes locked with the cold grey ones.

"You've grown up so much." It smiled, removing its hand, "You're even stronger now."

"Well hunting you sons of bitches keeps me fit." Dean mocked, shuffling himself away from the creature so they were farther apart.

"You haven't changed much though, not in here." It reached out and placed its hand on his chest, just over his heart, "Do you still taste the same?"

"You're one helluva sick bastard." Dean growled, trying to back away even further but finding his body so much weaker now this thing was touching him.

"You gave yourself to me. You came here willingly. Don't forget that." It smiled wickedly.

"I came here to get those children."

"I just don't think that's gonna work out, what with you losing your weapons and everything. Very careless Dean." Its nails dug into his chest and he cursed through the pain, "So now I get to finish what I started."

It removed its hand from him and he looked down to see the blood seeping through his top, staining it. He refused to watch the creature because he knew exactly what it was doing, he could hear it anyway, savouring his taste as it licked his blood away from its fingertips.

_This was a bad idea. _Dean thought, taking a deep and slightly painful breath.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ever since you, I could never stop comparing, the others never have tasted as good as you, never will. That's how I know you're the one, the one that can set me free."

"You'll never be free because I'm gonna be the one to send your sorry ass back to hell."

"You haven't figured it out yet have you? I never knew I was so good at bluffing."

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, you want to save those children but the real reason you're here is to protect Sammy but you don't get it, he doesn't need protection. You were both perfectly safe in that little motel room of yours."

"Safe? With you on the other side of the closet door? You've got a funny idea of safe."

"I couldn't touch you. I couldn't touch either of you. Not until you stepped into the closet."

"So it was just some kind of idle threat? Opening the door, making those noises… You're trying to say I didn't even need that chair?" Dean scoffed, trying not to show the panic that was quickly rising in him. If what this thing said was true, then he had just walked right into its trap and Sam was going to be so pissed.

"The chair kept the door shut… if that's any consolation." It taunted maliciously, "Oh come on Dean, I know you picked up the pattern. You just never found out the real reason behind it, did you?"

"The nine year olds?" Dean cursed himself, he knew he should have looked further into this or even asked Bobby more questions.

"Back when I was younger and foolish…"

"I don't wanna hear your life story." Dean spat, though the hunter inside him knew that if he could keep this thing distracted then he could be looking for a way out or a weapon.

It snarled at him and caught his chin in its cold hand, forcing their eyes to meet and deep within the cold grey, Dean saw the shadows moving and his heartbeat quickened. He desperately wanted to look away, to get away, the hunter in him becoming silent and the nine year old screaming for release, screaming for warmth and protection, screaming for his dad.

"You're mine Dean, so you'll do what I want you to do." It glanced to the other side of the room, forcing Dean to turn his head and look too. The empty shell of a young dead child sat heaped against the wall, "You remember Charlie, don't you?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	18. Charlie

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Ahh! I almost didn't get updated tonight! I couldn't have that!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

18. Charlie

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

"_Does it hurt?" Dean asked finally looking over at Charlie, "When he takes it… is it painful?"_

_Charlie's blank eyes stared ahead._

"_I bet it does. I bet it's like he's ripping you apart." Dean cursed, "Did you scream? I think I will... Dad taught me to be strong but I think it'll hurt too much."_

_Charlie remained silent._

"_But my Dad's coming. He won't be fooled by this thing." Dean bit his lip, "And I bet Sammy's tucked up nice and safe in bed. Somewhere this thing can't get him."_

_Charlie said nothing, did nothing, made no response, made no reply…_

"_What do you know?" Dean spat, "You're dead!"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

"His mother was a pagan. Stupid little whore." It moved away from Dean and wandered over to Charlie's body. He looked exactly how Dean remembered him. "She mourned for her little Charles when she found out what I'd done and do you know what? She honestly thought she could stop me, thought she could keep me away from any other children."

"But it didn't work." Dean managed to choke out, listening because he'd been told to listen, watching because he didn't want to lose sight of this creature, his own personal Boogeyman.

"She was young… naïve… she'd never cursed anyone before, let alone a powerful demon." It carried on, "Curse went wrong and she left a loophole."

"The nine year olds."

"These doorways to the children, they're made up of the child's fear and my own personal power, but because of that damn little pagan brat, she made it so I could only access the fear of nine year olds."

"Charlie was nine." Dean deduced, his eyes glancing at the dead boy only briefly before going back to staring at the creature, "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

"Don't say that. After all, I really want to keep you around. No one really survives, the ones that do become broken but you, you could be different."

He didn't like where the conversation was going, he didn't like the foreboding that came with it. Time to take it back to the children, "What about the others then? The ones that aren't nine? You found a way to get them."

"That's all thanks to you Dean. After our first meeting, I found I could reach further. Not much, but I could. I could draw on bonds between nine year olds and their siblings. You should know that."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Bobby gave Sam basics, telling him how the thing messed with the wrong family and wound up cursed only there was a loophole.

"Right, then that means my Goddamn stupid older brother went willingly?" Sam growled at the thought, "I am going to kill him."

"You're just gonna have to wait until we save him before you do that." Bobby shook his head and just watched Sam, only then did he notice the laptop screen and picture that was half hidden by webpage window, "Son of a…"

Sam stared in confusion as Bobby smiled and made his way over to the laptop, "I bet he didn't even realise he found it."

"Found what?"

"Look at the picture."

"Lows end?" Sam asked, staring at the street sign at the bottom of the picture.

"Town like this, they probably cut the picture short so you couldn't make the rest out but back in the day, this town was bound to have them."

"Have what?"

"Gallows and I wouldn't be surprised if they once stood where that building is."

"You're sure?"

"Search the map, see if this town has a street called Gallows End and if it does, least we can do is check it out."

Sam sat down in front of the laptop and starting pulling up a search website, a piece of paper with scribble on caught his eye:

'_Sam, I have to do this. I know you won't understand but it doesn't matter because you're gonna find out where this thing is taking me so we can kick its ass together. Just hurry up. – Dean'_

"I am so going to kill you." Sam breathed, returning to his search.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_It was frustrating to say the least. The searched further and further down to hall but no more doors appeared and they finally reached the end, which meant now the only thing to do was head back and search all over again. John could tell that this whole thing was really wearing for Sam; he was starting to drag his feet, even though he tried his hardest to keep up with his father and Bobby. The poor kid had barely gotten any sleep either so he was near enough dead on his feet._

"_Bobby, what is going on here?" John asked, his voice rising and falling, concern and anger both trying to take complete hold on him._

"_I dunno. It's controlling what we see and what we don't see. But it's more than that… it's what we feel and hear too. If we could just find a way to get passed it."_

"_We can't even see it, let alone get passed its illusions." _

_Bobby looked towards Sam, "Sam can see it. Maybe if he focuses he can see more."_

_Sam burrowed his brow and tried his best to hide a yawn, "If I could see more, we could get Dean back?"_

_John couldn't look at his youngest; he didn't know how to answer. He wanted to encourage Sam to try but he didn't want Sam to feel guilty if it didn't work. He never got the chance to answer though because a young frighten Sam suddenly gripped even tighter hold of him._

"_Dad!" He screamed, sounding very much afraid and very much panicked, "It was just down there! I saw it, it was watching us."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_Dean lifted his head, he was sure he'd just heard his little brothers scream. Sammy was in trouble and the creature wasn't in the room with him._

"_No! Leave him alone!" Dean called, tears forming in his eyes, "You can have it! Just leave him alone!"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	19. Stolen Innocence

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

I know, my last one was short and this isn't really much longer but it does have some hurt Dean and as you can probably tell, this tale is nearing an end.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

19. Stolen Innocence

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

"_That's my boy." The voice whispered in his ear._

_Dean closed his eyes tightly, he'd made his decision and it was enough that it was going to be painful; he didn't need to see it as well. He felt a sniffle rise and fall and could feel the tears stinging the back of his eyelids. He didn't even know what it wanted, he didn't care. He just wanted Sammy to be safe. A cold hand caressed his cheek and he tried not to flinch._

"_Don't worry, I won't take it all." It whispered and it moved its hand down towards his heart, its nails scratching the surface of his skin as it went._

_He felt heat rising inside of him at first, burning him, focusing on one point. It was gathering at the point above his heart and he cringed. Then came the first spasm, the first intense blast of pain that had every nerve tingling and begging for mercy and Dean screamed out loud. It was a long and pain filled scream that lasted well into the second spasm. One invisible claw gripped his heart and squeezed it, again and again and again whilst smaller and equally invisible claws seemed to dig and drag something out of him._

_The tears began to slide down his cheek and he cried out again. Every little scratch that stung intensified and felt like flames and pins, every bruise felt like a dagger twisting but nothing compared to that pain he felt in his heart, in his soul. He wanted to beg for mercy, beg for it to stop. He wanted to tell it that he couldn't stand the pain, that it was too much but instead he whimpered, his throat hurt too much to scream anymore._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

The cold air sliced his skin as it drew closer again, he knew that look in its eyes. It was hungry and it was going to feed on him. He took a deep steadying breath and using the wall as support, he dragged himself up to his feet, determined to get away.

"You're not trying to run away are you?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it running, especially when I can barely even stand." Dean spat, edging his way along the wall but the thing moved quickly and blocked him.

He closed his eyes in frustration and clenched his fists, how was he supposed to get away from this thing if it kept drawing off his strength and moved faster than he could even when he was in full health.

"You're mine remember. No leaving."

"This fine ass belongs to no one." He mocked, "Not unless they're a good looking chick who knows how to cook a good breakfast."

"It's not your 'ass' I want." Its hand reached out and touched his already bloody chest, "You remember how it felt the first time, right?"

It took a moment to register but it came flooding all at once, the present pain mixing with the memory, only difference was this time he had his eyes open. He could see the pure glee on its face and he loathed the look of pleasure in its eyes as the heat began to rise, he groaned inwardly, his muscles tensing up. The first spasm sent him crashing to his knees and just like before, that aching scream of his filled the air and echoed round the room.

He began to loose focus and the darkness began to creep in around his vision. The room flashed a couple of times, the image blurring, changing. That's when he realised how much this room had reminded him of that one back in 1988.

The invisible claw drove deep into his chest and dug its nails into his heart, squeezing, grasping at his life. He tried to blink away the pain and the memories, focusing on the other vision, the one where the room was different. It wasn't some old closed down slaughterhouse; it was more like an old office building.

The old and bloody room returned momentarily and Dean tried to memorise the little details whilst another spasm sent a wave of nausea through him and he felt himself gag. Then it shifted back to the old rundown office once again and lying against the opposite wall was not a little dead boy, instead it was a pile of old bones. The damn creature probably liked keeping trophies, the sick sadistic bastard.

Dean cursed and screamed out again, bile rising up with the pain. Why was it lasting so long? His mind felt like it was going in several directions, part of it focusing on the pain, part of it watching his surroundings flicker and the other part lingering on the forgotten nightmares. In his last moments of consciousness, an echo of words from a memory trickled through his brain.

"_I can manipulate surroundings which includes dead things. I can make them see what I want them too…"_

And this thing had chosen to take Dean back to that room where it had first hidden him. _A psychologist would have a field day with this,_ was Deans last thoughts before the darkness claimed him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_The hairs of John's neck stood on end and his blood ran cold as he heard that painful cry echo through the halls. He barely even noticed that he'd started moving towards the scream, his hand gripping his gun tightly and his face contorting in anger and fear._

"_Dean!" He shouted, voice full of panic._

_Sammy had to jog to keep up with his long strides, he wanted to block his ears and forget about the scream he'd just heard but that scream had belonged to his big brother and all little Sammy wanted was for Dean to appear from nowhere and hug him, telling him that everything was fine. He sniffled and forced back the tears. Dad said they'd get Dean back and Dad didn't lie, not about stuff like that._

_Bobby blinked, spinning slowly on the spot to stare around the hall. He wasn't sure if John had even noticed, he was so intent on following that scream. But the walls weren't just long empty walls now. Images of doors kept flickering in and out of view. The illusion becoming distorted, whatever it was doing with Dean, it was using up far too much energy to keep doors hidden._

_A second cry echoed and John found himself staring at an old wooden door. His mind did even think about the fact that just moments before it hadn't been there, instead he just growled, raised his leg and kicked as hard as he could, sending the door open with a crash. He raised his gun into the room and Sammy fell in behind him. _

_His youngest gasped, "Dean! Dad, its right in front of Dean!"_

_But John didn't need Sammy to tell him that. He could actually see the thing as it stood over the limp and slumped body of Dean. He fired a shot and it struck its target as John shouted, "Get the hell away from my son!"_

_This creature, this thing, demon or whatever it was glanced at John, looking him up and down. Its eyes then landed on Sammy. John moved in front of him, blocking this things view. He was scared out of his mind. For starters, his eldest was lying unmoving on the floor and John wanted more than anything to just rush to his side, but there was Sam to consider. And then there was the fact that he could see this creature. Bobby had briefly mentioned that this thing becomes completely visible after feeding on the innocence inside a child. Was this why Dean had screamed? Had this thing fed off him?_

_The creature hadn't moved, it just stood there, staring. John fired another shot and backed back out into the corridor when he felt Bobby come in beside him. Maybe Bobby's ammo would have a different effect. _

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

For as long as he could remember, Dean had dubbed him 'Geek Boy'. He was the research guy and he could find anything, or at least that's what Dean liked to believe. Sam however wasn't so confident in his own abilities. It was always worse when he was under pressure. But all he had to do was find a street name and a map and they'd be good to go.

"Gallows End." He whispered, waiting for the page to load.

"Gallows End." He repeated triumphantly five minutes later when he had the map printed out and he snatched the Impala keys off the table.

Bobby followed quickly, pulling his jacket on and reaching for his keys. It was barely twenty minutes later and they were pulled up outside an old and very much abandoned and actually kind of harmless looking office building.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	20. Reunited

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

Hah! Bet this one makes up for the short chapters! I really would have split this up into two chapters but I just couldn't find the right place so here you go, one long chapter. This is the penultimate one, so basically I got one last chapter for this story and then it's the end.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

20. Reunited

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

They packed several weapons into a couple of duffle bags, even though Bobby insisted that he and their Dad had tried most of them already, and they raced past the street sign that read 'Gallows End' and through the doors into the building. With a quick nod, they split up and swept the ground floor, checking each room quickly but efficiently. Sam was working his way back towards the front when he heard the scream.

"Dean!" He couldn't help but shout back. He broke into a run, heading for the staircase to the next floor that he remembered passing. His heart was racing and he took the steps three at a time until he finally reached the landing and was out into the hall.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was like two layers of images, one dark and empty and the other basically just normal. The flickering images made him feel queasy but he took a tentative step forward all the same and listened intently. In the background he could make out Bobby's footsteps coming up stairs and when he felt he was close enough to hear, Sam shouted.

"What the hell is going on here, Bobby?"

"It's an illusion, this thing can alter your perception, but it makes it real. If you don't see the door, then there isn't a door there, even if there's meant to be." Bobby explained, "When me and your Dad hunted it before we figured out it has Trickster blood, kind of like a cousin three times removed."

"So maybe it dies like a Trickster…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_The silver bullet dug deep into its target but it did no damage. It was an irritation at best. Bobby shot again anyway and then handed his duffle bag to John. "Go in there and pull out a stake."_

"_What?" John questioned, though he did as he was told, opening the bag and pulling out a particularly cruel looking wooden stake._

"_This thing can change reality, right? Well maybe it - "_

"_Maybe it's like a Trickster." John cut him off, smiling at the new idea._

"_John… One thing though…"_

"_What?"_

"_You need a victim's blood."_

_John looked over at his son, still lying so still next to this thing. That was getting hard to judge though, because it was beginning to fade from view, so John decided it was now or never. Dean was a victim, he'd use his blood. He rushed over and the creature made no attempt to stop him, if anything it seemed amused and curious._

"_Come on, Dean." John whispered as he knelt next to his son, his fingers desperately searching for a pulse. He was ever aware of the cold presence still watching him. "Please don't…"_

_He dropped the stake he was holding and pulled his son closer to him, fingers still searching for that pulse, "No… no… Dean… please…" _

"_Dean?" Sammy asked from the doorway, "Daddy, is Dean gonna be okay?"_

_John felt his heart tighten and then suddenly the hold was released when his finger felt a dull throb in Dean's neck and he whispered into his eldest son's ears as he picked the stake back up and coated it's tip in his blood, "It's gonna be okay, I'm gonna get you out of he – "_

_John's words were cut short as the creature now decided it was time to attack. It seemed like it was fine until John mentioned taking Dean away. With one hand, it knocked John backwards and with the other, it pinned the still unconscious Dean up against the wall._

"_You son of a bitch!" John shouted, "Leave him the hell alone!"_

_Another shot echoed through the room. A distraction. Bobby just stared at the creature, finger still hovering over the trigger. It released it's hold on Dean and moved swiftly towards Bobby. Bobby took a step to the side, in front of Sam, pushing him backwards out into the hallway at the same time._

_John took this distraction and dove for the stake, he then threw it to Bobby and when Bobby caught it, the creature was right upon him. It hadn't even realised what had happened. None of them really had time to register it. It was more reflex than anything but Bobby drove the stake right through where its heart should be and it just looked down in horror and a black like ink seemed to seep out._

_It screeched loudly and with what they thought was its dying moments, it flew towards Dean, desperate to hold onto what it had claimed as his; desperate to hold onto its key. But before it reached him, it faded from view, disappeared into the air._

"_Sammy!" John shouted, "Sammy, can you see it anywhere?"_

_Sam looked around the room nervously and in the end he shook his head._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

The darkness didn't last long; he could feel his aching body again and his heavy head as he started to wake up. He opened his eyes to find himself still in the old office and the creature watching him. It wore an expression of pure delight and if Dean didn't feel like he'd just been ran over by a freight train, he would have jumped up and tried to wipe that look off the creatures face.

"You never disappoint me. Even with what I've taken, you still have more than other humans. You truly will be the one to set me free. I only need a bit more."

"What exactly is it I'm supposed to set you free of?" Dean coughed, his body shaking.

"The curse. I've been restricted for so long that it'll be nice to be free. You of all people should appreciate that." It moved away towards Charlie… or actually the set of bones that had once been Charlie. And it moved in flickers, too fast to see.

"What are you?" Dean found himself asking.

"What am I?" It seemed confused by the question.

"Yeah…" Dean narrowed his eyes, watching it. He was sure of one thing, this thing wasn't human, and it had never been human. It held too much power to be human. But as he watched it, he started to wonder if just possibly…

Within less than a second it was by his side again, whispering into his ear, nails digging into his shoulder, stealing his strength, "I'm the monster in your closet Dean, I'm you're childhood nightmare. I'm the thing the Boogeyman wishes it was."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Not so much." Bobby sighed, "We tried that. Turns out it did nothing more than make it retreat. That's how we managed to get him back before; it gave us enough time to escape."

"But it wounded it?" Sam asked, trying to remember if he'd packed any stakes in the bag.

"Just enough."

Sam nodded and watched as the doors appeared to stay put for awhile. He took the left side and Bobby took the right, opening each door as they went. The first three rooms were empty but as he neared the end of the halls, he was sure he could hear voices. So he opened the fourth door with a little more hope, only to gag on the putrid smell that came from the corner. There was a small child. Hollow and empty and dead.

Sam cursed out loud, closing the door a little harder than he'd meant to. Bobby was having the same amount of luck, possibly worse as he found another two children, only just like the one Sam had seen; they were nothing but dead shells.

When Sam reached for the fifth door handle his heart skipped a beat, the voices were coming from inside here and he was sure that one of them belonged to Dean. He raised his gun ready and turned the handle, trying to make as little noise as possible. Opening the door in the same gentle motion, Sam stepped through the doorway and his eyes instantly fell on his brother.

He had blood seeping through his shirt, a couple of scratches here and there and fugly creature gripping his shoulder, causing more blood to escape from his body. His hazel green eyes lifted up, unfocused and glazed, meeting Sam's and a lazy, haphazard smile formed on his face.

"'Bout time." He mocked, blinking away the darkness creeping over him.

The creature snarled at Sam, releasing its death grip on Dean and that's when Sam realised that he could actually see the damn thing. This was the thing that had taken Dean at that young age and had stalked in for the past few days. Sam took an awkward and shocked step back as it took a step towards him.

"Fuck!" Came a shout from Bobby who was now beside him. Bobby looked the creature up and down and then his gaze wandered over to Dean who for all Bobby could see, was still Dean, even though this thing had fed on him yet again.

"Rock salt." Dean choked, falling forward onto his hands, his breathing becoming forced.

"What?" Sam asked, unsure he'd heard his brother correctly,

"Try the…" Dean said though painful coughs, "Goddamn… rock salt."

_Rock salt?_ Sam questioned in his mind, pulling the shotgun out of his duffle bag and aiming it at the creature that was barely a foot away. He fired to rounds in quick succession and watched in amazement as the thing dissipated into the air. Everything was completely still for a moment, except Dean's shaking form as he interrupted the silence with another painful bout of coughs.

"Dean." Bobby said, trying to get his attention, "You see it anywhere?"

Dean slowly lifted his head and scanned the room, "Nope, it's gone for now."

"What the hell just happened?" Sam asked, rushing over to his brother's side and gently hooking his arm around Dean's waist, pulling him up from the floor.

Dean ignored Sam's question and looked at Bobby, "You ever try rock salt on it before?"

"Yeah…" Bobby said, and then he shook his head, a thoughtful expression passing over his features, "You know, no, I don't think we ever did. Guess we kinda thought it might turn out useless."

"Unless it's a spirit?" Dean coughed again, his knees giving way slightly, but Sam kept him up.

"This thing isn't human, human spirits can't do this." Bobby said simply.

"It's dead." Dean stated matter-of-factly. It wasn't a threat, just a normal statement, "We've gotta stop it."

"Dean, shut up. You're exhausted and if it wasn't for me holding you up then you'd be sprawled across the floor flat on your stupid face." Sam growled, "We're gonna get you out of here – "

Dean cut him off, "There's no time! If I'm not here, he'll just go after those children. He hasn't finished with them, I know he hasn't. We've got to get them out."

"Dean… we found a few of them. They were dead."

"But not all of them are. I made a promise Sam."

Bobby sighed; he knew that both brothers were right. Dean needed to get out of there as soon as possible but they also needed to find those children before it had time to finish them off. "Sam, you stay here with Dean. I'll search the rest of the floor."

Sam nodded, lowering his now semi-conscious brother back down to the ground by the door. Dean grumbled but that's all he did, he didn't have the energy to do anything else. His heavy eyelids were scrunched up against the pain and part of him willed the darkness to come back and take him.

Bobby's footsteps disappeared and Sam stared at Dean, tapping his face gently, "Hey Dean, think you can stay with me here? Don't know how badly hurt you are."

"'ine." Dean mumbled, rolling his head away from Sam's tapping.

"No you're not. Now come on!" Sam grabbed Dean's chin and forced his head up, "Look at me! Open your eyes."

He protested but only silently, forcing his eyelids up so he could see his brother. He saw a shadow of something behind Sam as well and he opened his mouth to warn him but the words barely passed his lips and Sam was sent flying over towards the bones.

"Sam!" He shouted, adrenaline trying to force its way through his system.

Sam groaned as he pulled himself up off the ground. His head still slightly spinning and his eyes a little unfocused. His eyes widened in horror, he had no idea where the creature was, all he knew was that his brother was staring intently ahead, as if danger was approaching.

"Dean?" Sam questioned as Dean's hand shot up to his neck, forcing an invisible force away from it. He had to stop it somehow.

Dean tried to pull the hand that was now choking him away, but its grip just tightened. The creature smiled at him and forced him up off the ground and pushed him against the wall. He knew it was back for more and he didn't have any strength to fight it off.

BANG!

But a shot rang through the room and the creature vanished, taking its death grip with it. Sam had found the shotgun and aimed it in front of his brother, hoping for the best. He got lucky.

"You okay Dean?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded and looked towards his brother, still over near the bones and then it clicked, "Charlie."

"What?" Sam's heart skipped a beat. Dean had finally lost it. This creature had done something so bad to him that he had finally snapped.

"It's latched onto Charlie! Its spirit's latched onto his bones." Dean said, staggering slowly over the remains of the boy, "We gotta salt and burn the bones."

"You're kidding right?" Sam looked down at old and worn bones and then up at Dean and he sighed, "Of course you're not kidding."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He looked in each room and was a bout to give up hope and he nearly did when he came across yet another child's body. Bobby shook his head sorrowfully and started gently closing the door and that's when he heard the wheezing. It came from the child.

He pushed the door back open and move cautiously into the room, kneeling down next to the body and checking for a pulse. It was dull but it was there and Bobby couldn't believe the smile that spread across his face, just knowing that one of these children would survive.

Bobby looked the child over, looking for any obvious injuries and then rolled him over and pulled him up onto Bobby's knees, gently tapping his face, "Hey kiddo."

The child coughed lightly and his eyes flickered. "Jacob?"

"No kiddo, but I'm a friend." Bobby lay the child back down and took his jacket off, placing it under the child's head for support, "Wanna tell me your name?"

"Ricky." The child slurred, barely managing to stay awake.

A shot rang through the building and Bobby looked towards the door, _Guess the boys are in trouble._

"I'll be back, okay? I just have to go and kill the bad guy."

"Promise?" The kid whispered, his eyes closing again.

"Promise." Bobby agreed, heading for the exit and back down the hall towards the boys.

It wasn't until he was nearly back at the room that he heard Dean strangled cry of "Burn him!"

Bobby carefully moved along the wall on the outside of the room towards the doorway before turning in one swift movement into the room, taking one quick sweep of the room with him eyes.

Sam was over by a pile of bones, that Bobby hadn't even noticed, trying to light a match and judging by his frustration, every time he lit the match, it would be blown out by the cold wind that blew its way across the room from when Dean was. And Dean, Dean was lying flat on the floor, struggling with an invisible force that seemed determined to keep him pinned. He screamed in agony and all Bobby could do was watch as a light seemed to travel from somewhere near his heart, illuminating what appeared to be a hand, making it visible.

"Damn it!" Bobby growled and raised his shot gun, aiming it just above Dean and firing once, twice, three times until the light stopped glowing and Dean's scream turned into panting.

A swift noise caught Bobby's attention and he turned to see that now the creature had gone, the match stayed lit and the bones began to burn. A screeching filled the air and all three of them had to block their ears until it was gone. Any existed illusions died and the fire roared and Dean started to drag himself up, meeting his brother half way across the room, he looked about ready to drop down again and he did as Sam sent a fist flying, connecting hard with Dean's jaw.

"Don't you EVER do that again!" Sam shouted before helping his brother back, studying his injuries as he did so.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	21. Aftermath

.-.-.-.Monster in the Closet.-.-.-.

Summary:

Somewhere in Colorado, children from 3 families have gone missing, can the boys find out what's going on before forgotten memories come back to haunt them, more specifically – Dean. Flashbacks gonna happen.

I'm biting my lip now and pouting. Thank you all for reading and thank you for your encouragement and kind reviews. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it because it's been one heck of a ride for me and a definite new experience playing with wee!chesters.

Well here you go - the final chapter!

PS – If you have Avril Lavigne's 'Keep Holding On', it goes quite well with this chapter, especially about half way down when it's just Sam and Dean. (If you decide to listen to it, it's best to press play when the first flashback starts).

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

21. Aftermath

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Both brothers just stared at each other, a smile crossing their lips, pleased the other was fine and was alive. The momentary silence was interrupted by Bobby who had grown bored of watching the flames.

"Either one of you wanna tell me what just happened?"

"It's spirit or whatever it is demons leave when they die… it latched onto Charlie's bones. So much for this not being like a salt and burn." Dean smirked, but it didn't last long as he found his world to be spinning.

Sam caught him before he fell and steadied him, half dragging and half walking him towards the exit. "He thinks it's really over this time and I gotta agree. That thing really didn't want us touching those bones."

Bobby watched Dean, his eyes moving towards the blood on his chest, "I think you boys should get out of here. Sam, you need to get him fixed up."

"I'm fine." Dean slurred, trying to blink away the two Bobby's he could see.

"What about clean up? And those kids?" Sam asked. He really did want to get Dean seen to, maybe go to a hospital or something, but he couldn't just leave things the way they were.

"I've been hunting longer than the pair of you. I know how to do clean up, I know how to call the police and I unlike you two, I know how not to get arrested when they arrive."

"The kids…" Dean tried to voice his concern.

"Me and Sam found a couple of bodies and I found a kid called Ricky who's really out of it but he's alive."

"R…Ric.. ky?" Dean coughed gently, eyes lighting up at the name.

"Yeah. I guess he'll be fine but I ain't an expert." Bobby picked up Sam's duffle bag that lay by the doorway and moved across the room to fetch the shot gun. He thrust them towards Sam, "I'll call you when I get done, let you know it went smoothly and you boys just make sure you stay safe and get cleaned up."

"Bobby…" Sam started.

"Get out of here before I kick both your asses!" Bobby growled, though a smile formed across his lips.

Dean's head lolled forward and his eyes snapped open, but they were closing again almost immediately. Sam nodded to Bobby and took the weapons, trying his best to balance them and the semi-conscious Dean.

"And Sam…" Bobby's voice was barely audible, "I know what he's like. Make sure he doesn't go on one of those stupid guilt trips. If he hadn't played the stupid dumbass hero, that kid would be dead and probably more with him."

"I know." Sam smiled.

"Make sure he does too."

Sam nodded again and continued on his exit of the building.

The movements were lost on Dean as he became immersed in the memories of the last time.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_March 1988_

_He was very much aware of that warm hand on his skin and those comforting fingers running through his hair. A low rumble echoed beside his ear, telling him everything was fine and that he was okay now. He believed every word it said because it was a voice of truth and voice that meant protection. He tried to nod to let the voice know he was listening but he felt numb and still so cold inside._

_A higher voice with a squee like quality and an awkwardness about it followed the low rumble. The hands belonging to this voice were smaller and slightly softer, a sign that they had many years of wear yet to come. It pouted with him, telling him to wake up and open his eyes or he wouldn't talk to him for a month. Dean didn't believe it for a second, yet that didn't stop him from trying to open his eyes but they were still so heavy._

_Another voice in the background echoed softly, a rough but kind voice. It simply said hello and told him he would be fine before turning its attention to the other voices, telling them that they had to get out of here and get Dean back to the apartment. No touch came with this voice but Dean was happy with the comfort that came from the other two._

_He felt safe. He felt like he could drift and sleep and when he woke up, he'd wake up somewhere else, back in his bed with his annoying little brother at his side and his Dad fussing over him in a clumsy manner that suggested he wasn't really all too sure what he was supposed to do, or say._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

A gentle rocking motion told him that he was in the car and he forced his eyes open to look over at his brother, "Where we goin'?"

"Hospital." Sam replied simply.

"No." Dean would have shaken his head as well but it hurt too much, "Too many questions, not enough answers."

"Look," Sam explained "You're in pretty bad shape, you look like death and we've gotta get a doctor or at least a nurse to check you out."

"Sammy, they can't do anything. They can't fix what they don't understand." Dean whispered, "I just need to sleep it off and I swear I'll be fine."

"Dean…" Sam was about to argue, his brothers words cutting deep, as if Dean was actually admitting that creature had done more than just physical harm to him.

"Please."

Sam glanced over at his pale brother and into those hazel green eyes that pleaded with him, begging him. And Sam gave in, nodding gently, "Fine. But if you get worse or you refuse to wake up, I'm taking you to the nearest Doctor."

Dean smiled and leant back in his seat, closing his eyes. "So what now?"

"Now? Now we're getting you to that motel in the next town and I'm cleaning you up."

"What about the stuff in the other room?"

"I'll swing by on our way out and pick it up." Sam sighed, "Dean… you know Bobby says that kid Ricky'll probably make it."

Dean vaguely remembered Bobby saying something like that, the words were kind of fuzzy and mixed up in his memory though, "And the others?"

"I don't know if he'll find any more survivors."

Dean didn't reply. Sam knew exactly what would be going through his mind, it would exactly like Bobby had said. He'd be sending himself on a guilt trip. Dean Winchester, also known as Atlas, the man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He blamed himself for everything bad and nothing good. It was his nature and all Sam could do was try and ease the burden.

"You know if it hadn't been after you, it would have gone for more kids."

Dean nodded numbly.

"I'm proud of you."

That got his attention and Dean turned his head to look at Sam, "You what?"

"I said I'm proud of you. This thing tortured you when you were younger but you still faced it, so you could save the children it had and the ones it would have taken somewhere along the line. You faced your fears. You always do. And I'm proud of you."

"Oh God…" Dean laughed as they pulled into the parking lot, "Dude, enough. Please."

Sam just smiled in reply and climbed out of the car, neither of them needed to speak to know that Dean had to stay in the car. So he watched Sam gather up their things through the open door and he drifted off into another forgotten memory.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_August 1992_

_Every was a blur. He'd been fast asleep in his bed and having a darn good dream too when the sound of a gunshot woke him up. Next thing he knew his Dad had come bounding into the room, paused for only a second and then dragged both him and Sammy out into the living area._

_Dean had quickly glanced around the room with tired eyes, he thought he saw a flash of grey and he thought he'd heard a creaking but he was probably just tired. And being tired made Dean ratty, especially with the person who had woken him up in the first place. _

_He could guess what had happened. Sammy, one simple word. Three words and two numbers if you said 'Sammy and his .45'. Sammy had complained the other night about hearing creaks and he swore he saw the closet door open and their Dad, sucker for believing that Sam's 'Closet Monster' was most probably real, had given him a .45 and told him to aim well. And now Sam's supposed 'Closet Monster' had probably crept out of it's closet, gone up to Sammy and said 'Boo' or whatever it is 'Closet Monster's' say and Sammy had fired without hesitation or care that his older brother was fast asleep and enjoying a particularly good dream._

_It wasn't that Dean truly doubted Sam, it's just that Sam's new belief had been keeping Dean awake and away from his precious sleep. Maybe that was what this closet monsters plan, to keep Dean away from his sleep. And that, that right there would be pure evil._

_And now he was bundled up in the car with Sammy bouncing up and down in the back seat and a few quickly packed clothes and their Dad telling them that they were visiting Pastor Jim because the case he was working was getting pretty dangerous and he didn't want his sons involved. Well, actually what his Dad had said was, 'Pastor Jim called, he said he wanted to see how you both were before you started back at school' but of course Dean knew the truth, well maybe not the whole truth such as how this all conveniently happened after Sammy's shooting incident. But he knew enough._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Present Day

Sam climbed back into the car, the first thing he noticed was Dean had his eyes closed.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam asked. He wouldn't be Sam if he didn't.

"I'm fine." Dean sighed, but it wasn't a sigh that told Sam to back off. It was a heartfelt sigh that was dealing with guilt and pain. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty, but he did. Deep down inside he felt like he should have been able to save more of them but there was nothing he could do to change that.

Sam turned the key and the car purred into life, gently easing Dean's mind, even though he wasn't the one driving. He hummed gently as Sam drove, tapping his fingers gently against his leg and singing the words inside his head.

"_Hush little baby, don't say a word,_

_And never mind that noise you heard,_

_It's just the beast under your bed,_

_In your closet, in your head."_

"Dude, are you humming Metallica?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dean turned his head slightly to look at Sam, a smirk spreading across his face before turning back to staring out the passenger window. Though one thing was for sure…

He still wanted to sleep with the closet door shut.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


End file.
